


rice cake shop

by sugarloser



Category: EXO (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, IM, M/M, Mafia EXO (EXO), OT9 (EXO), Oops, Tags, bad at tag, jimin/kai, uhhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:55:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarloser/pseuds/sugarloser
Summary: Jimin never thought he’d be running his grandma’s rice cake shop instead of going to college. But he also never thought he’d be sheltering a handsome gangster.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Jimin (BTS)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is more than one chapter!! Idk why it’s showing 1/1 :(

Jimin never imagined he’d be running a rice cake shop instead of going to college. Instead of studying dance, pursuing his passion, he was assigned the role of owner- his grandmother’s sudden death was a whirlwind of events. His senior year of high school, the third and final year, his grandmother passed away. She passed away a week after Jimin entered his senior year; she didn’t get to see Jimin graduate, Jimin with a pretty girlfriend, or Jimin opening up his own dance academy like he said he would. His senior year went by at a glacial pace. Though he was supposed to be studying for the fabled Korean entrance exams his entire third year, Jimin was instead mourning his grandmother. His parents begged him to study, but Jimin was torn with grief. He could not bring himself to study, could not eat or dance properly, and it came to the point that skipping school was the norm for him. His parents could not afford a therapist, and didn’t want to be shamed by their relatives, so Jimin was left with a grief stricken mind and a body facing the consequences. 

Jimin got better as his senior year progressed. Around their summer vacation, Jimin gained back a bit of his weight. He ate, though very little, and grew as healthy as he could, but when he tried to dance again, he discovered that he could not. Every time the music started, Jimin couldn’t move a muscle. His parents were devastated- Jimin had changed completely. His one passion had been taken alongside his grandmother.

But Jimin found a different sort of comfort. Though he could no longer dance, he figured he could still make rice cakes. He’d been helping his grandmother run her rice cake shop for years. He’d helped around a lot since his early childhood, but only took it on as an actual job in middle school. He was a rice cake expert, and he thought his grandmother would be happy to see her puppy (Jimin was her puppy- she thought he looked like one) run her rice cake shop in her place. 

He made it out of high school with barely passing grades. He was scolded for weeks, and given nasty looks by his parents for months afterwards, but Jimin didn’t mind. With all the extra money he’d earned working for his grandma, he was focused solely on reopening his grandmother’s rice cake shop.

The renovation of the shop was minimal. Jimin put plants here and there, and exchanged the corner tables for comfy sofa-booths, but that was the most of it. Five months after Jimin graduated high school, he was ready to run the shop again, after a lot of legal work and paper signing, that is. 

But his father didn’t care for Jimin’s simple dream. He was furious. He wanted Jimin to go to college- he would have accepted whatever career Jimin would have chosen, he just _had to go to college_. Going to college meant being successful, and Jimin knew that his parents had worked their entire lives to send Jimin to somewhere good. All their pocket money and side funds went completely to saving up for Jimin’s college, and Jimin understood why his decision was falling so heavily on them. But he felt no remorse looking at his father’s angry face and his mother’s disappointed, tearful expression. And he didn’t regret it when his father kicked him out of the house. Jimin, with the little funds he had left, rented out the apartment above the rice cake shop. It was where his grandmother used to live.  
He was eighteen and living alone. He picked up a cat off the street, brushed her pretty calico pelt and got all her vaccines, and she was living happily with Jimin on that apartment above the rice cake shop. But that was the most company Jimin got- despite his six friends dropping in constantly, helping around at the shop and spending long nights at Jimin’s apartment, they were still all busy. They were all attending college, and with Taehyung moving back to his grandparents’ farm to work there instead, Jimin was lonely constantly. The four hour phone calls with Namjoon late into the night only made Jimin feel a little less lonely- and though Yoongi, Namjoon and Jin were just a couple hours away in Seoul, it was still hard to see them. Even if Hoseok was there every weekend, he still had his classes to attend (he was majoring in dance. Hoseok always looked to Jimin with sad eyes when the topic came up- he and Jimin were supposed to be conquering dancing college courses together. But here they were, miles apart, and with their hearts in different places). Even Jungkook, who was studying to be a professional gamer tester, seemed to have a lot on his plate. He barely ever visited Jimin, and his texts and calls were scarce, despite their close friendship (Jungkook was a shy kid. Jimin wasn’t angry at him for not trying to be social). 

There was nobody in the room down the hall to feel comforted by in the night. There was nobody to talk to at breakfast, lunch or dinner. There was no one to fight with over the bathroom, nobody to scold him for not cleaning up, and nobody to yell at him for having adopted a stray cat. Jimin was totally alone. At least there was his cat to eat meals with, and she liked to watch television with Jimin.

Seven months into his career, and seven months knee deep into loneliness (his parents refused to contact him until he was ready to go to college, so there was that), a new customer appeared at his shop. Jimin only had regulars- two old grandmas who were fond of Jimin’s looks and of Jimin’s past grandmother, three teenagers that thought it was a trendy place to study at, one working mom who always came in extremely stressed to grab a rice cake before work, and a thirty year old looking guy who frequented only to see the working mom (he liked Jimin’s tteokbokki too). 

It was a Friday evening. Jimin remembers it clearly. The sweet pattern of rain fell onto the big window beside the front door, and Jimin was contentedly watching the downpour from behind his cashier counter (Jimin worked as the chef, the cashier, the waiter and the manager. He didn’t have enough money for employees). Friday evenings were particularly slow- the teenagers were usually off having fun instead of loitering in Jimin’s shop, the working mom was off work, and the old grannys were probably tired after a week of knitting and nagging at their grand children.

Jimin’s pick of soft hipster music fit the theme of the rice cake shop well, and the dimming lights only added to the mood. Jimin felt like he was in a Tumblr picture as he stared out the rainy window. Then, the empty mood was interrupted. The door was swung open aggressively. Jimin sat up straight, almost excitedly, thinking it might be one of his friends- but to his surprise, it was a stranger. He was drenched from the rain, wet hair covering his face, and soaking clothes clinging to his frame. He was only wearing a long sleeve and some jeans; Jimin wondered how he survived the cold.

He stumbled to the counter. Then, he slicked back his hair, revealing an incredibly handsome face. The handsome stranger, who looked no younger than Jimin, stared at the menu behind Jimin. 

“Anything… Warm?” The stranger smiled at Jimin, though his teeth were chattering.

“My tteokbokki is pretty spicy.” Jimin stuttered. “It could probably warm you up.”

“It could, huh?” The stranger’s smile was fading. He was shivering so much, Jimin worried he might fall over and die. 

“Uh, why don’t you sit down?” Jimin suggested. “I cranked the heater up today since it’s really cold. Go sit in the corner, where the booth is, okay? You’ll warm up there.”

The stranger stared at Jimin. He blinked appreciatively after a couple moments, then staggered to the booth. Jimin rushed into the kitchen once he saw the stranger was safely seated. He knew the stranger needed a fresh pair of clothes- staying in his same wet clothes would really get him cold- but his stature was sort of bigger than Jimin’s. They shared the same lean physique, Jimin quickly noticed, but the stranger’s shoulders were broader, and he was a lot taller than Jimin. So, he got the biggest shirt he had, which he used whenever he slaved away making kimchi, and the longest shorts he had, grabbed a towel and headed back out. He spotted the stranger curled into the booth’s corner, shivering intensely. Jimin walked around the counter, and hurried to accommodate his new costumer.

“Here.” Jimin put the clothes and towel on the table. “I didn’t have any blankets in the kitchen, but I got you a towel.”

The stranger looked up at Jimin, pale face full of an unreadable emotion. “This is for me?”

“It’s for you.” Jimin nodded. “Go ahead and change. There’s a bathroom right there.”

Jimin left the stranger alone after giving him a sympathetic look, and ran to the kitchen. If he didn’t want this guy to die of hypothermia, he’d better make the tteokbokki fast.

Thirty minutes later, Jimin reappeared with a serving of tteokbokki and hot tea. He spotted the stranger in Jimin’s clothes, which miraculously fit him, and a towel covering his head. Jimin slid the meal onto the table, and put the tea down beside it. 

“Go ahead and tell me if you want more.” Jimin said. “The tea’s on the house.”

“I can pay.” The stranger said weakly. 

“Just eat.” Jimin told him gently, and pushed the bowl closer to the stranger.

The stranger lingered for a while longer. He ate slowly, and savored the spices till Jimin saw his nose running. Color finally replenished the stranger’s face, and Jimin thought the tanned color suited his features well. Jimin went about his business as the stranger ate, leaving him in peace as he mopped up the puddles of water the stranger had left a trail of. After a while, the stranger went up to the counter to pay. 

“Are you Jimin?” He asked.

“I am.” Jimin smiled at him. The stranger automatically smiled back.

“I’m Kai.” Kai introduced himself. “No. I’m not Kai. I’m Jongin.”

“Hi, Jongin.” Jimin greeted him gently. The guy was probably still disoriented after almost freezing to death.

“You…” Jongin trailed off. He stared at his feet, mouth trying to form words, but nothing quite came out. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jimin chuckled. “You can keep my clothes, okay? But you have to bring them back. You’ll come back for more tteokbokki, right?”

“Right.” Jongin agreed breathily. “I mean, I will. I will come back.”

“Good. Business is really slow.” Jimin grinned, and Jongin laughed.

“Bye.” Jongin said, but didn’t move an inch. He stood awkwardly in front of the counter, staring at Jimin.

“Be back for sure, okay?” Jimin told him, pointing a small finger at him.

“I will.” Jongin promised. And after that, he was out the door.

Jongin came back two weeks later. He carefully opened the door this time, and was dressed in a heavy black jacket which covered the rest of his outfit. He was wearing jeans and boots though. In his arms, Jimin’s clothes from two weeks ago were ready to be returned.

“Sorry.” He apologized as he approached the counter. “It took a really long time to find a good laundry mat, so I ended up washing them at my friend’s house. He has a really nice washing machine and stuff. He says it’s American.”

“Wow. My clothes were washed by an American machine?” Jimin gasped, and accepted the clothes Jongin held out. “It’s like a dream come true!”

“Have you ever wanted to go to America?” Jongin asked. 

“No.” Jimin told him honestly. “I think it’s boring there. I heard they’re mean to asians too.”

Jongin smiled. Then he laughed. Jimin almost felt his heart flutter- this guy was seriously handsome. “Park Jimin, can I try some of your steamed rice cakes?”

Jongin came by every week. Usually he came dressed in winter attire, which Jimin was happy to see, and he usually variated between steamed rice cakes and tteokbokki. 

“There’s different options on the menu, you know.” Jimin teased as he served him his steamed rice cakes.

“I know. But I think these two will be my favorites no matter what.” Jongin beamed up at Jimin. “There’s no point in trying other stuff if I already know what I like.”

“So you’re that kind of guy.” Jimin smiled. “What if you like everything on my menu?”

“Well… I lied to you. I think everything you cook will taste amazing,” Jongin confessed. “So I’ve been restricting myself to just these two dishes. If I order new ones, I’ll probably be so addicted and start coming every day instead of just once a week.”

“Why is that bad for me?” Jimin asked. “My profit goes up!”

“Your supplies will go down.” Jongin leaned back in his seat. “I’ll order every single item on the menu every day. Then, you’ll be stuck in the kitchen. There’s a lot of bad things that’ll happen if you’re stuck in the kitchen. One, you’ll get complaints for the slow service, and two, I-... I mean, _nobody_ will see you all the time.”

“Is that bad?” Jimin was referring to the second bad thing.

“Awful.” Jongin confirmed.

Jimin served him different dishes every time he came after that, even if he ordered steamed rice cakes.

One week, Jongin did not appear. He came on random days, so Jimin waited patiently for the day he would come. When Friday rolled around, Jimin kept his shop open as long as he possibly could.

But he had to close up- he was getting tired, and he had to sort through bills and feed his cat. 

Just as he was counting Thursday’s earned won, the door swung open, as it once dramatically did a month or two ago. 

Jongin appeared. Today, he was bent over, clutching his stomach. He watched as Jongin staggered to his usual spot at the corner booth, and when the boy collapsed onto the sofa, Jimin almost jumped over the counter to see if he was okay.

“Jongin!” Jimin shook him, trying to get him sitting up. Jongin did sit up, but only to have his head crash onto the table.

“Had to see you.” Jongin wheezed. “The week was ending.”

“What’s wrong?!” Jimin demanded to know, pushing all of Jongin’s hair away from his face to check for injury. He looked fine, but there was an incredibly pained expression accompanying a pale face and white lips. “You’re hurt, right?! What happened? Does your stomach hurt? Do you have cramps?”

“Why would I have cramps?” Jongin grunted. “I have a penis.”

Jimin couldn’t laugh at the retort. Instead, he tried to pry Jongin’s hands away from his stomach. Jongin refused to move his hands away.

“Jongin-,” Before Jimin could continue, he realized his hands were full of blood. He screamed, and jumped away from Jongin, but the boy on the table was unresponsive. His shoulders rose and fell at an awkward pace, and he trembled as he clutched his stomach. 

“Jongin, are you hurt?” Jimin’s voice was shaking as he moved to sit closer to him. 

“I am.” Jongin groaned. “But… I want to.. I want to die… here. Not… not on the street…”

Jimin bit his lip. Was Jongin a gangster? What could have wounded him so badly that he was afraid to die on the street? Who would’ve hurt him on the street anyways?

“Jongin, please don’t say that.” Jimin pleaded, eyes tearing up. “Please, please can I call an ambulance.”

“Don’t.” Jongin protested weakly. “Ambulances… I can’t go to the hospital.”

“What? Why can’t you go to the hospital?” Jimin cried, and wiped away the tears dripping from his eyes. 

“Not allowed…” Jongin heaved, and Jimin almost fainted at the sight of the blood seeping through Jongin’s whitening fingers. 

“What happened? Jongin, please! Please, you can’t die!” Jimin started to sob. 

“Can’t…” Jongin trailed off. Then, he laughed- but he started coughing afterwards. “Wanna die with you.” 

Jimin eventually locked the door to his shop and took Jongin up stairs. Jongin refused to show him the wound, so Jimin was forced to awkwardly help him up the flight of stairs. There was a trail of blood following Jongin, and Jimin tried his best not to look. 

Finally, Jimin laid Jongin down on the sofa. Jimin’s cat came quickly to nuzzle Jimin’s leg, but he had no time to show her love. 

“Let me see your wound!” Jimin finally demanded. Asking would not help.

Jongin was delirious by that point. He probably couldn’t even hear Jimin. So Jimin pried Jongin’s fingers away from the wound, and his hands fell to the side to reveal an ugly parade of colors staining his white shirt. Jimin pulled up Jongin’s shirt, and had no time to marvel at his abs when he saw the repulsive cut. It was a deep cut, with blood so darkly colored that Jimin couldn’t believe it was human blood. 

Luckily, the cut was to the side of his stomach; Jongin would live to see another day. Jimin had seen things like these in movies, and Jungkook had given him a prolonged overview on stab wounds when he showed Jimin his horror short film once, so he knew what he had to do- call an ambulance.

But it didn’t feel right to call an ambulance when Jongin had so clearly told him not to.

Onto the second plan- put pressure on the wound. Jimin put his hands over the wound, desperate for something to happen, but the blood kept coming out. 

“Why did you have to come to my shop?” Jimin sobbed, completely panicked. He had no idea what to do, Jongin was unconscious and his hands were drenched in blood.

He ran a thousand scenarios over in his mind. He could stitch it shut, but he had no medical equipment, and the clock was ticking for Jongin, so there was no time to run to the pharmacy. He shut his eyes and tried to remember the time he cut his eyelid on the seat of the toilet as a kid- the doctor had given him a billion stitches, but there was a haunting alternative to the stitches that the doctor said he couldn’t use for sensitive skin.

Jimin opened his teary eyes wide. Staples. 

“I don’t have any medical staples!” He sobbed to himself. Beneath his fingers, Jongin’s stomach twitched.

He had alcohol though.

“Jongin! Jongin, please wake up! You need to hold your wound!” Jimin tried to shake Jongin awake, but he was knocked out. Jimin put Jongin’s hands over his wound, but he knew it wouldn’t help much. He had to get his things fast. 

Jimin scrambled to his feet and burst into the bathroom. He shoved through the bottles of lotion and cleaning supplies beneath his sink, and found the alcohol. With trembling hands, he dunked it onto each hand and grabbed another bottle of alcohol. He ran to his room, slamming his shoulder on the doorway on the way out of the bathroom, and reached for his desk where the stapler sat. He was lucky he was stapling some paperwork yesterday- if he hadn’t, and his stapler was lost in his drawers, Jongin would have died by now.

Jimin raced back to Jongin. Luckily, his apartment was tiny, so there was no need to go far. He made it back in under two minutes, and threw Jongin’s hands away to get to work. Weeping intensely, he poured alcohol onto the wound. Jongin groaned in pain.

“Oh my god!” Jimin sobbed. “I don’t know if I was supposed to do that!”

Jimin then held the stapler to the side and drenched it all in alcohol. He opened it, and poured alcohol onto the staplers too. 

Now came the real challenge.

He went face to face with the gash again, and almost gagged at the disgusting sight. He powered through it though, and pinched the split skin together between his fingers. Then, he swung back the bottom of the stapler, so that he could staple the wound with no interference.

One staple. Jimin winced when he heard it.

Two staple, three staple and four staple, and Jongin was done. He tossed the stapler to the side, taking no time to look at his sloppy work, and pulled Jongin’s head into his lap.

“Jongin!” Jimin cried, repetitively slapping his cheek (he slapped it gently). “Jongin _please_ wake up! Jongin, you can’t die now!”

Had he lost too much blood? He was still breathing though! How long ago did he get the stab wound? Had he got it just around the corner of Jimin’s shop, or did he drag himself from Seoul to die in his shop?

Through some miracle, Jongin groaned. Then, his eyes opened. 

He smiled at Jimin. “You’re my angel, aren’t you?” 

Jimin never thought he’d be sheltering a total stranger. He never thought he’d save a life, and never thought the stranger he saved would be so handsome. But then again, he never expected to be running his grandma’s rice shop, but here he was.

The world was full of twists and turns. Everything you thought you knew as a kid, as a middle schooler or a teenager, turned out to be completely wrong when high school ended. 

Jimin came to learn this just a year after graduation. And he felt the fact to be truer than ever as he saw Jongin sprawled out on the couch, sleeping peacefully despite the puddle of blood on the floor.

After Jongin called Jimin his angel, Jimin cried for a long time. Jongin demanded he stop crying because he’d start crying too, then Jimin helped him on the couch and spoon fed him yogurt until he fell asleep. At eight o’clock at night, thirty minutes after the ordeal, Jimin showered and ate something to try and calm his erratic nerves. Now, he was crouched down as he poured food into his cat’s food bowl. Once he finished, he put the cup back into the food bag, and soothed his hand down his cat’s back as she ate. 

“Do you like Jongin?” Jimin asked, pressing his cheek onto his knee. His cat purred contentedly in response.

Jimin mopped the blood from his floor. It came off easily. He checked on Jongin afterwards, and decided to take off his shirt. It was way too bloody, and reeked of risk for infection. He tried not to look at Jongin’s torso, but it was impossible not to. His body was gorgeous, with a lean build and taught muscles. 

It almost looked like a dancer’s body. Jimin quickly looked away, red in the face. 

He came back with the oversized shirt Jongin had given back to him, and sat him up the best he could to put it on. He decided he wouldn’t switch his pants. He didn’t have enough sanity in his mind to go through another major event tonight, so instead he got a pillow from his bed and tucked it under Jongin’s head. Then, he picked out one of his spare duvets and covered Jongin carefully in it. 

He decided he’d turn off the lights and let Jongin sleep in peace. But his idea was a bit hypocritical, because he sat in front of the couch right after and turned on the TV to watch a movie. Luckily, his parents still hadn’t changed their Netflix password. He put on Dumplings over Flowers, even though it wasn’t a movie, and called it a night. 

Half way through the second episode, Jimin’s phone rang. He reached into his pocket, and saw that Taehyung was calling. Happily, he answered it.

“Taehyungie!” He called his name affectionately. 

“ _Jimin! I have so much to tell you! Our neighbor farmer is gay!_ ”

When Jimin woke up, he was in bed. His cat was curled up at his feet, and the door was safely shut. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Had he sleep walked to bed? Or did he just not remember going to bed? He was sure he fell asleep talking to Taehyung… 

When he walked out to the living room, he spotted Jongin sitting at his tiny dining table. 

“Jimin!” Jongin grinned. “You only have two chairs.” 

“Are you okay?!” Jimin gasped. “Have you been walking around? Doesn’t that hurt your stomach?”

“I’ve gotten a lot of stitches.” Jongin assured. “It’ll only rip if I try to stretch or anything. Just gotta be gentle.”

“Jongin, how are you alive?” Jimin stared at him. “I really mean it. How did you live? Did you get stabbed close to my shop?”

“Really close.” Jongin laughed. “Like, the alley down the street close. Somebody knew I like your shop.” 

“So that’s how you lived.” Jimin muttered. “Wait. Somebody?”

“I’m kind of a criminal.” Jongin smiled. “I think you guessed that by now.”

Jimin hurried to sit in the remaining chair. He leaned over the table. “You’re joking, right? Jongin, Seoul’s really no joke. You probably shouldn’t joke about stuff like that.”

“But I’m not joking.” Jongin frowned. “I’m really a bad guy.”

Jimin sat back in his chair. He studied Jongin, ran his eyes over him a hundred times, but he couldn’t see it. He’d always have a suspicion, but never really thought it would be… real.

“What kind of bad guy?” Jimin asked. “Rob people bad guy?” 

“You’re so cute.” Jongin said affectionately. “Bad guy bad guy. The gangster kind.”

Jimin’s jaw dropped. Silence passed, and Jongin awkwardly spoke again.

“Are you gonna call the cops?”

Jimin seriously wanted to call the cops. There was a gangster in his house! He could have killed him in his sleep!

But the more he looked at Jongin, and the more he remembered all the moments he had with him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to call the police. 

When it came down to it, he liked Jongin. He was handsome, and sweet, and for the past weeks he’s kept Jimin company with a pretty smile and light banter. 

Jimin felt guilty all of a sudden. He was only harboring him because Jongin was nice to him. 

“No.” Jimin finally told him. Jongin’s shoulders seemed to slump after that. 

“You seem really nice.” Jimin said slowly. “I can’t… you don’t _look_ like a gangster.”

“I know.” Jongin said, and drank the rest of whatever was in his mug. “That’s how I get away with everything.”

“Are… Do you sell drugs?” Jimin asked awkwardly.

“If I tell you yes, would you call the cops?” Jongin replied with another question.

“No.” Jimin said honestly. “No, I um, my best friend vapes and stuff. I mean, I’m okay with it, but I’d be worried if they did it too much. Because, um, it’s easy to get addicted, right?”

“Really easy.” Jongin agreed. “I tell the guys who make it all to go easy on the addictive stuff, but it really doesn’t help much.”

“What if they get really addicted?” Jimin was becoming worried for all the addicts of Korea. “That would be bad, right?”

Jongin studied Jimin’s face. There was a gentle look in his eyes. “Really bad.” He agreed softly. 

“Maybe you could pay for their rehab bills. Mafia gangsters are really rich, right?” Jimin sat up as he spoke. “But, maybe it’s their fault for buying. People that sell alcohol don’t have to pay rehab bills… Isn’t it easy to become an alcoholic too?” 

“Pretty easy.” Jongin agreed again. “I guess there’s a lot of ways to see it. But I do it for more selfish reasons. Not enough jobs in Korea these days, you know? I grew up really poor, so there was no good schools, no college, and no future.”

“So you became a gangster.” Jimin nodded along. “It’s like you had no choice then.”

“I’m a pretty young gangster.” Jongin said. “I started really young. Like, fourteen? I met this guy who said he could get me a lot of money, and for a kid who wanted his mom to live well, it was like a dream come true. I thought I could probably afford an XBox if this guy gave me enough money. So he took me under his wing, and taught me how to be a gangster.” 

Jimin leaned in, completely engaged in Jongin’s story. He stared at him with wide, expectant eyes. 

“But that bastard didn’t really think I had potential to be a gang boss. He had a weird fetish for kids with tanned skin.” Jongin went on, and Jimin gasped in horror as a response. “So he taught me all this stuff in case the cops would come get me, and I could play it off like I was a voluntary gangster. I found out when I was fifteen because he kept trying to touch me.”

“What an asshole!” Jimin cursed Jongin’s ex boss passionately.

“Turns out there was a hundred other little kids he’d been doing worse things to. So I…” Jongin trailed off. Jimin watched with anticipation, thinking Jongin was trailing off for dramatic effect. Then, he gave Jimin a little smile. “I kicked him out of the gang. Whoever kicks out the boss becomes the leader.”

“Wow! So you’re the boss now?” Jimin said happily. 

“Not really.” Jongin smiled. “I was the boss for a little, but my old boss’s nephew took over the position. He was my really close friend the whole time, and I didn’t really feel like being the boss. I’m the right hand instead.”

“Are you rich?” Jimin pushed the questions. 

“I am.” Jongin told him. “I have the nice houses and cars and all those gangster yacht parties. But I came to Busan a couple of months ago to take care of some business.”

“Alone?” Jimin gaped.

“Alone.” Jongin nodded. “It was really dangerous for my boys.”

“Dangerous for your boys?” Jimin’s eyes sparkled. “You’re really like those loyal mafia gangsters. How many boys are in your gang?” 

“Used to be twelve, counting me.” Jongin said. “Now it’s just nine.” 

“Did the other guys… _die?_ ” Jimin bit his lip worriedly, anxious to hear good news about Jongin’s gang members. 

“No, they’re okay.” Jongin laughed. “Kris wanted to do his own thing, so he started up a group of Chinese gangsters. Luhan and Tao got sick of gang life, so they gave up their fake identities and went back to China.” 

“I’m glad.” Jimin sighed in relief.  
“Are you going back soon?” 

“I should.” Jongin sighed. “If I stay, you could really get hurt.”

Jimin’s eyes widened. Get hurt? Suddenly, the excitement of meeting a real gangster faded away; Jongin had just told him tons of illegal things, and Jimin completely overlooked them. What did kicking out the boss mean?

Did it mean killing him?

What business did he have here that involved being stabbed in the stomach? 

“Will you be okay?” Jimin couldn’t help but ask. 

“I should be fine.” Jongin assured with a smile. “I was really ready to die in your shop though. I’ll be back to die in it when I’m really dying.”

“Don’t you dare!” Jimin gasped. “Don’t even get to the point that you have to come here and die! Just go to the hospital or something- Do you have a doctor in your gang? Just go to a doctor!”

“I do have a doctor in my gang.” Jongin told him. “I’ll never die, okay?”

“You’d better not. I won’t go to your funeral unless you died of old age.” Jimin threatened, and Jongin laughed. 

“You really are so cute.” Jongin sighed. “I’m gonna miss your rice cake shop.”

“I’ll send you all my rice cakes. What’s your address?” Jimin‘s declaration came with a demand.

“It's better if you don’t have any links to me.” Jongin told him sadly. “You’ll be safest that way. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Jimin tried to think of something to say, but every word fell limp on his tongue. He supposed he understood.

“Don’t look so sad!” Jongin cried. “We’ve barely even spoken to each other! You’ll forget me in two months!”

“But I saved your life! You tried to die in my shop!” Jimin argued. “How could I forget you?!”

“You’re so cute.” Jongin broke the tension, sighing heavily. Jimin blushed, and ran out of words to say.

His eyes fell to his lap. “Why don’t you stay until your cut heals?” Jimin murmured, eyebrows furrowing. “I’d be worried if you left today.” 

“I can’t stay for that long.” Jongin chuckled. “I just told you it’s dangerous.” 

“How long does it take to heal? Seven days?” Jimin looked up at Jongin. “You’ve been in Busan for months anyways. What’s another week?” 

Jongin took a shower and followed Jimin to work after that. 

“I shouldn’t go out.” Jongin told Jimin. “I’ll help you cook.”

“Are you a good cook?” Jimin asked, and Jongin had given him a sheepish smile. 

Saturday was spent like that. Jimin tended to the cashier post, which was genuinely empty on Fridays, and often went to the kitchen to see Jongin. There wasn’t much to talk about seeing as they were newly acquainted, but Jimin liked it anyways. It was nice to have somebody around.

Around midday, the working mom came in with her two kids. 

“This is Jangmi, and this is Nami.” She introduced her two pretty daughters. Jimin almost melted on the spot.

“Oh!” He cooed, and leaned over the counter to greet the girls. “So pretty! You have such big eyes, Nami! Jangmi’s face is so pretty!” 

“Thank you!” The mother said proudly. “I wanted to bring them by. This place has saved me every day, Jimin.”

“Has it really?” Jimin asked, feeling emotional at the compliment.

“It really has! And it’s so incredible that you’re running this on your own.” She went on. She smiled a bit. “It kind of… Well, your story reminds me of my story. You know what I mean?”

“I know what you mean.” Jimin assured, and smiled at his faithful customer. He could almost cry- a loyal customer and kids tagging along? Jimin loved kids. “Well, should I get you the usual?”

As the day wrapped up and Jimin was washing dishes in the kitchen, Jongin, who’d sat in the chair all day since it was too hard of a trip to go back up to the apartment, watched Jimin work. 

“It’s pretty a slow income.” Jongin remarked.

“You’ve been coming here for weeks and you haven’t noticed?” Jimin chuckled. “I have the same handful of regulars come by every single week.”

“How do you even keep the store running? Don’t you have to pay rent too?” Jongin said, sounding amazed.

“I don’t eat much.” Jimin told him. “I used to eat a lot, but after my grandma died, I just lost a lot of my appetite.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Jongin immediately apologized in a hushed tone. 

“Not your fault.” Jimin said airily and didn’t return to the topic.

“But why did you lose your appetite?” Jongin asked, and it was obvious he was trying to be careful about what he said.

“I think it was just because of the grief.” Jimin shrugged, and set a cup to dry on the rack. “Every time I tried to eat, I couldn’t do it. I felt sick trying to eat. I still feel sick when I try to eat, so I just eat… What do I eat? I eat a little bit of sweet potato sometimes. I like to eat bread when I go upstairs after work.”

“What?” Jongin’s mind sounded blown. “How are you even standing?”

“A miracle, maybe.” Jimin told him in a sing-songy manner. 

“Now I know why I see your spine through your shirt.” Jongin muttered. “Maybe I should help you eat again while I’m here.” 

“I’m okay.” Jimin assured gently. “But can you really see my spine through my shirt? I know my bones show a little, but I didn’t know my shirt was so thin.” 

“It’s pretty thin.” Jongin informed. 

Back upstairs, Jongin and the cat were curled up on the couch. He was petting her affectionately and making strange noises as Jimin scoured through his fridge to fix Jongin something to eat. 

“I think I have ramen!” Jimin called as he shifted through his cupboards. 

“Okay! Should we get groceries tomorrow?” Jongin asked, and Jimin hummed his response.

He bonked his head against the counter as he was standing up, and rubbed it pitifully as he got out a pot to cook the ramen.

“Dude, did you hit your head?” Jongin sucked his teeth.

“Super hard.” Jimin whined. He rubbed it fiercely, then shook his head. “I’m okay! I’m manly!”

“Sometimes manly guys bonk their heads too.” Jongin commented.

Jimin served his dinner, and absently ate a grape as Jongin devoured his bowl of ramen.

“You don’t want any at all?” Jongin asked around a mouthful of noodles.

“No.” Jimin made a face. “The smell makes me nauseous.”

“Have you ever been to a doctor about this? Or maybe a therapist?” Jongin said as he twirled his noodles. “I think having your bones showing is kind of unhealthy.”

“Don’t have the money to.” Jimin sighed. “If I did, I would’ve gone a long time ago. I’m really lonely, you know? Maybe that’s why I can’t eat too.”

“Why don’t you try eating some?” Jongin offered, referring to his bowl of ramen. “You can eat a little bit. If it really makes you feel bad, I’ll just eat the rest.”

Jimin made another face. Jongin pushed the bowl towards him, and watched expectantly as Jimin inspected the ramen.

“I feel sick.” Jimin pushed it away.

“You didn’t even try it!” Jongin pushed it back. 

Jimin let out a dramatic sigh, then eyed the ramen. He picked up the chop sticks, and dove it into the noodles. He felt queasy as he moved it towards his mouth, so he shut his eyes and opened his mouth. He deposited the food and chewed, all in a robotic manner. 

“You look like you ate a lemon. Except it’s covered in shit.” Jongin was frowning. If Jimin wasn’t chewing, he would have laughed. 

“That’s how it feels like!” Jimin said once he forcefully swallowed. Jongin pulled the bowl back to him.

“Look at that! You just ate a big thing of ramen!” Jongin clapped. “See? It’s not that hard! Even if it’s not a lot, you still have to eat. You can even chew it like it’s a lemon covered in shit if you want, but you just need to eat food.”

Jimin didn’t know what to say. He blushed. Why was Jongin complimenting him on swallowing some food? 

As the night fell, Jongin’s relaxed expression’s became tenser and tenser. When Jimin was walking out of the shower, he overhead Jongin on the phone. It was a small apartment, so no matter what corner Jongin stood in, Jimin could make out every word he said. Jongin was muttering low and hurriedly- Jimin heard him talking about a cargo ship.  
“You did _what?!_ ” 

Jimin flinched at the menacing tone of Jongin’s voice. It must be gangster business. Jimin quickly retreated into his room, but he could hear Jongin’s mumbling from there too.

When Jimin was dressed, he stepped into the living room. Jongin was leaning against the window frame, shoulders tight as his arms were crossed.

“Jimin?” Jongin noticed him quickly. He turned to look at him, and Jimin could see Jongin’s upset face smooth into a smile in the darkness. 

“Why are the lights off?” Jimin asked quietly. He moved to flip the switch on, and Jongin turned back to the window before Jimin could see his face clearly.

“Forgot to turn them on.” Jongin said simply. “Your cat… Doesn’t have a name?”

“No. How’d you know?” Hesitantly, Jimin moved to sit on the couch.

“Just guessed.” Jongin shrugged. “You should name it Mochi.”

“Mochi?” Jimin repeated. “I was thinking something more poetic. I wrote a song a long time ago, and it’s called Serendipity. I was gonna name it that.”

“Serendipity?” Jongin struggled to pronounce it. “Is that English?”

“Yup.” Jimin agreed. “My friend’s fluent in English. I helped him write the song, and I sang it for one of his demo albums.” 

“So your friend’s a producer?” Jongin asked absently. The tense mood was not gone.

“Were… you on the phone?” Jimin asked gently. “Doing gangster stuff?”

Jongin was silent. Then, his shoulders slumped. “Yeah.” He replied, equally quiet. “Doing gangster stuff.”

“Oh.” Jimin moved his stare to his hands. Newly named Mochi jumped up onto the couch, and butt her head against Jimin’s arm. Jongin abruptly rose from his spot against the window frame, and followed Mochi’s lead. He sat beside Jimin, but the couch hardly dipped with his weight. 

“Do you like singing?” Jongin asked, and the tension in his voice was gone. He was looking at Jimin with gentle eyes.

Jimin felt relieved. He shifted towards Jongin. “I really like it.” Jimin told him. “But I liked dancing even more than singing.” 

“You liked?” Jongin echoed.

“I couldn’t dance after my grandma died.” Jimin said. “Maybe it’s because I couldn’t eat. No energy left!”

“I used to dance too.” Jongin told him.

“I know.” Jimin replied. Then, he blushed. “I… Well-.... I, um, took off your shirt that night to see your wound, and I, well your figure looked a lot like how mine did, before, um, I lost a lot of muscle mass, so I figured. I figured you were a dancer.”

Jongin was smiling from ear to ear. “Guess we both can’t dance, huh?”

“Why can’t you dance?” Jimin looked back up at him.

Jongin shrugged. “No time. There’s nowhere to dance anyways.” 

Jimin looked at him sadly. He wished he could comfort him, but what could he say? Jimin was going through the exact same thing. 

“Should we watch a movie?” Jimin offered gently, and Jongin nodded rapidly in agreement.

They brushed their teeth after the movie, and as Jongin went to settle on the couch, Jimin stopped him.

“Hey.” He said. “Do you want to…. Sleep on my bed?”

“What?” Jongin frowned. “I can’t kick you onto the couch! We barely met!”

“No! I mean, sleep in my bed.” Jimin blinked at him. “With me.”

Jongin was quiet. Then, his cheeks reddened and he ducked his head. “Oh. Do you think I’ll fit?”

“It’s not a small bed.” Jimin told shyly. It took a lot of courage to muster up the question- Jimin constantly felt bad that Jongin had to sleep on the couch, especially when he was recovering from an injury, so he’d spent the entire movie thinking of ways to ask if he wanted to sleep on Jimin’s bed too. If Jongin kept stalling with his answer, Jimin might run away and hide.

“Okay.” Jongin’s voice broke as he agreed. 

Jimin’s room was extremely simple. He almost felt embarrassed showing it to Jongin. His bed had a metal headboard and linings, and his cushion was sort of squeaky. He had one, thick blue duvet, and the rest of the room was white, but the paint was peeling off. He had a big drawer stand; there were three wide drawers where he kept all his clothes, but they were an awful struggle to open. Then, he had a brown desk and a chair. On top of the desk, there were three picture frames; one of Jimin and all his six friends, one of Jimin’s grandmother, and one of Jimin and Taehyung. There was also a window beside his bed. 

“I like your room.” Jongin mumbled quietly.

“Thanks.” Jimin thanked him awkwardly. “Should we go to bed?”

They crawled into bed, Mochi jumping up with them and snuggling at their feet, and awkwardly settled down. Most things were awkward between Jongin and Jimin, but this had to be the cherry on top of it all. They were pressed shoulder to shoulder, sharing the same pillow, Jongin wearing Jimin’s pajamas and Jimin’s forehead was starting to gather a lot of sweat beads. 

“Should I sleep on the couch?” Jongin broke the silence.

“No!” Jimin said firmly, and Jongin fell silent again. It was weird having Jongin quiet; he always spoke to Jimin so happily, and looked so energetic. Was he shy too?

“I’m gonna sleep then.” Jongin said.

“Okay.” Jimin replied.

They both stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, and weren’t sure when they fell asleep, or which one of them fell asleep first. 

In the early morning, Jimin woke up. He seriously had to pee. When he tried to move around, he felt something beside him, and almost jumped off of the bed when he realized that it was a person. Heart racing, he realized that the person was Jongin- and Jongin had his arm thrown across Jimin’s torso like it was no big deal. 

Also, in Jimin’s groggy state, he began to realize just how impossibly handsome Jongin was. With all these factors combined, Jimin settled back down, deciding to fall back asleep. He’d pee in a few more hours.

And just like that, Jimin and Jongin grew affectionate of each other. They blushed when they woke up in the morning and saw Jongin was cuddling Jimin, and any previous awkwardness was out the window. When Jimin was in the laundry room washing clothes, Jongin barged in and offered to help. Jimin cooked what he could for Jongin, which led to a grocery run, which led to the couple coming back home for Jimin to make him dumplings. Jongin forced Jimin to take a bite of everything he ate, and by the third day Jongin was at his house, he started to really feel hungry. 

They watched movies together, and despite their lack of conversation, they felt quite comfortable with each other. Jongin let Jimin check his wound, and when Monday came around, Jimin left Jongin to his own devices (so long as he stayed in the apartment and didn’t move around too much) as he went to work. 

Jimin had only been with Jongin three days, and those three days were enough for Jimin to grow attached. He forgot that Jongin was a criminal- he suddenly, very desperately wanted Jongin to stick around. Though Jimin didn’t want to admit it, he only liked Jongin around because it made him feel less lonely. There was always noise in the house nowadays with Jongin’s chatter and loud music, always somebody right next to him at night, always someone to fight over the bathroom with. Even if it had just been three days, Jongin had fulfilled Jimin’s wishes- and Jimin was starting to hope Jongin’s wound would catch an infection or something so that he could stay with Jimin longer. 

The fourth night came around, and Jimin and Jongin were getting ready for bed.

“Did you feed Mochi?” Jimin asked him.

“Yes. What kind of animal do you think I am?” Jongin snorted as he brushed his teeth.

Jimin spat out his mix of toothpaste and saliva. “A stinky one.”

“I do not smell!” Jongin cried, and almost choked on the liquidy toothpaste. Jimin laughed at him.

They went to bed after that, but Jongin got up several times on the excuse that he needed to pee.

“How much water did you drink?” Jimin muttered once Jongin returned to the bed for the fifth time.

“A lot.” Jongin groaned. “I can’t sleep without peeing.”

“I’m tired!” Jimin whined. “My teenage regulars brought their entire class to try my rice cakes. I was cooking and serving them back to back.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me to help you?” Jongin scolded. “I would’ve ran down there!”

“Run down there?” Jimin scoffed. “You don’t know the first thing about making rice cakes!”

“Yes I do!” Jongin protested. “Well first… First…. You cut it.”

“Good night, Jongin.” Jimin sighed. 

“Wait, I know how to make rice cakes though!” Jongin whined. 

Deep into the night, there was movement. Jimin thought it must’ve been a dream; he saw flashes of light, heard muffled speaking and the sound of doors creaking. He even felt Mochi stir at his feet, but he was still asleep. Then, there was a hand on his shoulder. 

“Jimin,” Jongin’s gentle voice called. It was still heavy with sleep. “Jimin, get up. We have to go.”

The hand left, and Jongin’s gentle voice was gone for a minute. Jimin was convinced it was just a dream- his sleepy mind could not understand or tie in context to realize something was up, so he went back to sleep. But not for long. He picked up that same movement, the same sensations of doors opening and shoes being pulled on. Jongin came back, and Jimin’s torso was lifted up.

“You’re so pretty sleeping like this, you know that? You’re so pretty when you sleep that it drives me crazy.” Jongin muttered, his voice distorted by Jimin’s unconscious state. He felt Jongin pull something over his arms, and felt his head loll- then, he woke up.

“Jongin.” He groaned. “What’s happening?”

“Remember how I said I couldn’t stay long?” Jongin told him gently. “We have to go right now. Somebody’s after me.”

“I can’t go.” Jimin protested hoarsely. “I have my shop, and Mochi.”

“Mochi will come with us.” Jongin promised. “I called one of your friends. Your phone doesn’t have a password, so please don’t get mad that I went through it. Is his name Taehyung?”

“Why did you call him?” Jimin finally opened his eyes, and felt blood rush to his head as he sat up in Jongin’s hold. He also realized Jongin was pulling a thick jacket onto him. 

“I called him and asked to take care of your shop.” Jongin explained. “I told him I’m your cousin, and that your mom got sick suddenly. I told him you were getting ready to go, and asked me to call him. I don’t think he really believed me, but he said he’ll be here tomorrow, and he’s been blowing up your text messages ever since.”

Jimin moaned and fell limp in Jongin’s hold. He was too tired. His head was throbbing, and he’d barely gotten enough sleep. He and Jongin had gone to bed around one last night, so whatever time it was, Jimin knew it was early.

“I packed some of your clothes.” Jongin went on, and he held Jimin close as he zipped his jacket up. “And Mochi’s in her cage right now. We’ll bring her, okay?” 

“I don’t wanna go.” Jimin mumbled, the temptation to sleep a seductive factor to his mind. He still didn’t understand the underlying urgency in Jongin’s tone and fast working hands.

“I’ll bring you back when it’s safe.” Jongin made another promise. 

“We can’t go.” Jimin kept his argument up. “You have to stay, so that your wound can heal. You can’t go right now.”

“That’s why we’re going together.” Jongin said hurriedly. “Wake up. We have to go right now.”

Then, Jimin opened his eyes. He sat up, and paid no attention to being sat in Jongin’s lap. He looked at him with bloodshot eyes and a deep frown. “What’s going on?” He asked.

“Don’t be scared.” Jongin murmured, and flattened Jimin’s hair in an attempt to soothe him. “I’m here. I got up in the middle of the night, because something felt seriously off. I looked out of the window, and somebody was looking back at me from across the apartment. So we have to get out of here before something serious happens.”

“Are they gonna blow up my shop?” Jimin gasped.

“No. No, not if I’m out of it. But I don’t want you here in case they do something- and I think they know I’ve been with you this whole time.” Jongin explained. “Pull your legs up so I can put your shoes on.”

“Will they shoot at us?” Jimin couldn’t help but ask the questions. He was suddenly afraid, and when he saw the tense look on Jongin’s face, the knot between his brows, Jimin’s backpack on his shoulders and that thick jacket he liked to wear on with his usual boots to pair, he didn’t feel comforted at all. 

“They won’t.” Jongin assured as he pulled Jimin’s boots onto his feet. “Can you walk? We have to go fast.”  
Jimin nodded his agreement in silence, his pout becoming permanent. 

He was supposed to carry Mochi’s cage. Jongin held Jimin’s free hand, and in the other, a gun was held against his leg. Jimin saw Jongin cock it, despite Jongin’s efforts to hide it from him. Jongin had safely locked Jimin’s apartment, and Jimin was told to very secretly lock the windows. All the lights were already off- and soon, they were in the kitchen of Jimin’s shop, taking quiet steps as they snuck out of the back door. 

Behind Jimin’s shop was nothing. It was a dumpster, and a dirty, empty space, where Jongin had occupied with his car. It was black, and Jimin couldn’t tell what type it was. Jongin took him to the passenger’s seat, and Jimin finally felt the cold settle in as Jongin quietly unlocked the car and opened the door for him. He was shivering as he slipped in, and he settled Mochi on his lap. 

Jongin shut the door, and moved to sit in the front seat. He started up the car, and the car’s engine had a silent purr to it. Jimin wasn’t too surprised. Gangster cars were probably built to be stealthier- and pretty expensive too. He looked over the leather and handsome handles of the car, and thought it might be those BMW type cars. They pulled out of the back, and Jongin stepped on the gas. Jimin barely had any time to see his rice cake shop fade from his view.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asked with a little sigh. They’d driven twenty minutes in silence now, and Jimin could only wonder what part of town they were in.

Jimin nodded quietly.

“Are you cold?” Jongin leaned over and turned on the heat. Jimin didn’t reply. Instead, he settled his cheek on Mochi’s cage.

“Where are we going?” Jimin asked in a murmur, closing his eyes.

“Seoul.” Jongin told him. “We’ll be there in an hour or two. Sleep for now.”

“Okay.” Jimin agreed, and quickly fell asleep.

When the car came to a stop, Jimin woke up. Jongin was getting out of the car as Jimin was lifting his head. He came around and opened the passenger’s seat for Jimin, and reached in to take Mochi’s cage. He offered another hand to help Jimin out, to which Jimin gratefully accepted. They were in a garage; Jimin caught a glimpse of the gray morning sky as the garage door closed noisily. 

“Where are we?” Jimin asked.

“My house.” Jongin said. “It’s an apartment complex. I have the suite at the top of the tower.”

“Wow.” Jimin mumbled, trying to blink away the sleep from his eyes. “Being a gangster must make you a lot of money.”

“It does.” Jongin agreed simply. “Do you want to hold my hand?”

Jimin silently accepted. They intertwined their fingers, and went to the elevator hand in hand. Mochi was meowing uncomfortably. 

The trip to Jongin’s suite was long and silent for the most part. Jimin settled his head on Jongin’s shoulder, and came in and out of sleep the entire elevator ride. When they arrived at the top floor, Jongin led him quietly to the door. Jimin rubbed his eyes and yawned as Jongin unlocked his door, and he was fully awake once he stepped inside.

The apartment was huge. The ceiling towered above them, and the entrance to the apartment was only a preview to the massive living room. Jimin followed Jongin in, and marveled at the sight of beautiful couches and fur-made rugs, with windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. There were paintings in varying sizes that covered the expanse of beige walls, and they all looked like originals. On an elevated platform, there was a dining table with a lot of seats (Jimin counted twelve of them). The floor looked like genuine wood, and Jimin was almost shocked to see the grand piano sitting in the corner beside the massive television. (There was also a window-sill corner tucked behind the windows and sofas, where the ledge was sticking out to the point that there were cushions on it.) 

“Let’s go to my room.” Jongin told him. “You can go back to sleep on my bed.”

Jimin nodded absently, and followed Jongin down the winding halls. Finally, they made it to his room, and Jimin was surprised at the simplicity of it. Jongin’s bed was set in the middle of the room (the headboard was still against the wall. Don’t worry), and he had two mirror doors that might lead to a closet. There was a door to the bathroom, but beyond that, the room was empty. It looked just like Jimin’s.

“Your room looks like mine.” Jimin smiled at him.

Jongin smiled back. “It does, huh? Take your shoes off and go to bed.”

Jimin did as he was told, and Jongin was left to set Mochi’s cage down. He let her out, and Jimin watched as she stuck her head out of the cage. She sniffed wearily around, but upon seeing Jimin, she purred and rubbed her head against Jongin’s carpet. 

“I think she likes it here.” Jongin told Jimin.

“I like it here too.” Jimin told him breezily. He took of his jacket, and placed it neatly beside his shoes. “Can I go to sleep?”

“Should I go to sleep too?” Jongin suggested. “Go ahead of me. I’m gonna change my clothes before that.”

Jimin looked at him, but it didn’t take long to make his decision. He was exhausted, and he could feel the weight beneath his eyes. It was time to catch up on the hours of sleep he’d missed last night. 

When Jimin woke up, he was alone. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The bed was so comfortable that Jimin felt as though he slept for hours, even though he saw on the clock on Jongin’s bedside telling him it was eleven am. Mochi was sleeping peacefully beside him, but Jongin was missing. The blanket had been pushed down on the left side, so Jimin assumed Jongin had gone to lay down for a bit too. 

He got up and looked around, but he was nowhere to be found. Jimin decided to leave the room in search of him, wanting to ask if he could take a shower. He felt pretty dirty; he hadn’t showered yesterday, and the car ride made him feel even dirtier. Once he stepped out of the bedroom, he heard chatter coming from the end of the hall. He wondered if Jongin had company. Naturally, he followed it, forgetting that Jongin was a gangster and the chatter could be from important clients, or even worse, his own gang. 

Before Jimin could walk into the room (which looked like the kitchen from afar), he yawned, and just as he was walking in, he was rubbing his eyes tenderly with the back of his sleeve. 

“Jongin,” Jimin called, eyes still closed. “Can I go take a shower? I feel really dirty.”

When he opened his eyes, his face paled. In front of him, there was an entire table filled with gangsters, guns on the table and cut knuckles with bruised faces smudging the aura of the beautiful kitchen. He spotted Jongin at the other end of the table. 

“Sorry.” Jimin gave them a quick bow.

“No, it’s okay!” Jongin sprang up from his seat. He hurried to tuck his gun away. “Come sit here. Um, or stand by me, okay? I want you to meet them. My friends.”

“Your friends?” Jimin echoed, biting the inside of his lip. He tried not to look at Jongin’s friends, despite their intense stares. 

“Yeah. Come over here with me.” Jongin beckoned, and Jimin awkwardly obeyed. He kept his head down as he walked over to Jongin, and pressed his leg to Jongin’s arm. 

“You like them shy?” Somebody finally broke the tension, and laughter cracked around the table. 

“You’re all scaring him!” Jongin accused. “With all your guns out! Put them away!”

“Wow. He doesn’t even curse around his boyfriend.” Someone else scoffed, and the boys chuckled again. 

“Hey, look up!” Somebody else said, and Jimin shyly lifted his head. His face was red from the jokes, and he could barely meet the eyes of Jongin’s gang members. The guns were still scattered on the table, but the handsome faces of Jongin’s members were enough of a distraction.

“Damn, he’s pretty.” A guy with thick eyebrows remarked. Jimin flushed red, and tried to move closer to Jongin. He discovered it was impossible. 

“Woah! Kyungsoo is complimenting somebody?!” There was another guy, and he sort of looked like a puppy.

“Who can blame him?” Another one was grinning at Jimin. “He’s super handsome.”

“His name is Park Jimin.” Jongin corrected all of them. “Stop talking about him. He’s right here.”

“I’m Oh Sehun.” It was a boy that blurred it out. He looked handsome, with thick, arching eyebrows and a tall nose, and his jawline was even handsomer. Jimin wondered if this gang only allowed handsome people to join.

Everybody was looking at Sehun. “Dude. You just told him your full name.” Puppy eyes deadpanned. 

“He knows Jongin hyung’s first name.” Sehun mumbled dejectedly.

“Why does he know your first name?” Somebody said, staring at Jongin with angry eyes. He must’ve been the boss. 

“He’s trustworthy.” Jongin assured. 

“How do you know that?” The man frowned. 

“He runs a rice cake shop.” Jongin told him. “His grandma passed away his senior year, so he runs her rice cake shop. He let me name his cat, and he doesn’t eat a lot because he misses his grandma, and his full name is Park Jimin. His parents cut him off because he refused to go to college, and he’s been extremely lonely without family and with his friends in college. And even when he had no idea who I was, he helped me every time. He saved me from dying twice. He’s completely trustworthy.” 

“You’re in deep shit, huh Kim Jongin?” Puppy eyes sneered. “I’ve never heard a weirder love confession. Park Jimin, I’m Byun Baekhyun.”

“I’m Park Jimin.” Jimin reiterated. Baekhyun smiled at him, and Jimin blushed upon realizing his mistake. 

“He’s so shy!” Another person with big ears laughed. “I’m Park Chanyeol. And… are you really Jongin’s boyfriend?”

Jimin shook his head rapidly. “No. No, I’m… I’m not.”

“I’m Do Kyungsoo.” The guy with thick eyebrows (who called Jimin pretty) introduces himself. 

“I’m Kim Jongdae!” This guy hadn’t spoken to Jimin, but he was seriously handsome. His eyebrows were permanently fixed in a worried state, and his face was so gorgeous that Jimin’s heart beat a little too quickly. 

“He’s blushing even more.” Chanyeol pointed out. “Do you think Jongdae hyung is handsome?” 

Jimin nodded, and the boys rioted. They shoved and pushed at Jongdae, pointing fingers and laughing. 

“You should’ve met him a few years ago!” Baekhyun hollered. “He would’ve gone crazy for you!”

“He has a wife!” Chanyeol laughed. 

“Oh.” Jimin put his head down and blushed even more.

“Stop it!” Jongin growled. 

“Thank you for thinking I’m handsome.” Jongdae laughed. 

“No problem.” Jimin said quietly, and the boys kept laughing.

“Stop laughing at him!” Jongin demanded again, but it didn’t help. 

“I’m Kim Minseok!” A boy (he looked seriously young) with slanted, cat like eyes introduced among the rioting. “It’s really good to meet you!”

“He’s the eldest hyung.” Sehun informed him.

“This is Kim Junmyeon!” Baekhyun was shouting. “He’s our leader!”

“Nice to meet you.” Jimin said, still quiet. Junmyeon just stared at him.

“Are you really with Jongin?” Junmyeon asked.

“No. We’re just friends.” Jimin wrung his hands nervously. 

“Only friends? But you were sleeping in his bed?” Junmyeon went on, and the boys suddenly fell silent.

“Hyung, stop it.” Jongin said gently. “He’s nervous. Don’t be an asshole. He’s only sleeping in my bed because we shared a bed at his apartment, and I got used to it, so I asked him to sleep with me.”

“You like to be alone.” Junmyeon said sharply. “Don’t fuck with me, Jongin. Who is this kid?”

“Hyung, he saved my life. Twice.” Jongin repeated what he said earlier. “I trust him with everything, and you trust me, don’t you? You know I’m a loner, and you know how hard it is for me to get along with people. That’s why Jimin should seem even more trustworthy.”

“Why is he here then? Are you letting him stay and introducing him to us just because he’s trustworthy? Why is the owner of a rice cake shop staying with you and getting in on your personal life?” Junmyeon prodded, and Jimin wanted desperately to leave. He wasn’t good with people either; and his fated shyness was taking its toll. He wondered if he could hide behind Jongin. 

“When you sent me on business to Busan, things got serious. Jung put assassins on my ass, hyung.” Jongin explained. “I told you everything about what happened already. But I started seeing them around Jimin’s shop, and I saw one on stake out, hyung. They were trying to see if I was intimate with Jimin so they could take him out too.” 

Jimin felt his heart stop. Jongin never told him any of that. As if he felt Jimin’s shock, Jongin put a comforting hand on Jimin’s thigh, holding him close. 

“So you’re protecting him?” Junmyeon said. He still looked suspicious. 

“Yeah. Till we can get the shit with Jung settled, he’ll be here.” Jongin told him. 

Junmyeon stared at Jimin. The silence was deafening. Jimin prayed that this entire encounter would end soon, because he was about to shit himself.

“We’ve got a meeting to be at by twelve thirty.” Junmyeon said instead of pushing questions on Jimin. “Go get ready.”

“You never told me they were staking my house out.” Jimin muttered once they reached the bedroom. 

“I didn’t want to scare you.” Jongin turned to Jimin with apologetic eyes. “I know you’ve never been around anything like gang life, so that’s why I was worried. I didn’t want to scare you away.”

“Scare me away?” Jimin repeated. “Jongin, there’s nothing that can scare me. I’m not a kid, you know? I know you think I’m innocent and that I don’t know anything about this stuff, and honestly, I am. But I’m not that kind of innocent. I’m grown, Jongin. I’m nineteen. You don’t need to hide things from me because you think I can’t take it.” 

“I know. I know, and I’m sorry.” Jongin stepped closer to Jimin. “I’m just worried. I know you’re old enough to handle things, but I just…”

“You feel like I can’t?” Jimin asked.

“No!” Jongin blurted. “No way. I just feel like I have to protect you. You’ve saved me from dying twice, Jimin, and I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me. You’ve been… you’ve been really sweet to me. I don’t want you to get hurt, or be scared or worried because of me.”

“It’s okay.” Jimin finally forgave him. “It’s really okay. I just don’t want to be in the dark about all of this, especially when I’m gonna stay with you for a while.”

“Jimin, that’s also something I need to talk to you about.” Jongin sighed. “A lot of shit hit the fan with us and a rival gang. I went on business in Busan to spy on them, but they found out, so now shit is flying everywhere.”

Jimin laughed a little at that, and Jongin broke a smile too. “So what I’m trying to say is that you’ll be here… For at least a few months. Is that okay?”

“A few months?” Jimin’s face fell. “Who’ll take care of my shop?”

“I can hire an employee to watch over it.” Jongin said. “I’ll hire someone Junmyeon trusts and let them take care of it, yeah? Can I do that?”

Jimin was about to nod, but he stopped himself. A few months wasn’t just two or three weeks. It wasn’t anything like a short vacation from home. He’d be away from the shop, his friends and… Then, Jimin thought about it. His friends were too busy to swing by nowadays with their semester finals coming up, and Taehyung was cities away from Busan. Jimin wouldn’t miss much if he was gone for a couple months. Mochi was with him, his family was out of the picture, and if Jongin really did find somebody to take care of his shop… 

“Okay.” Jimin sighed. “But please let me send them my recipes.”

Jongin smiled down at him. “I will. I’ve gotta get ready to head out. Go ahead and take a shower, do whatever you want. This apartment is yours too, got it? The boys will be here for a little, but they’ve got a lot of things to do in the afternoon, so you’ll have time to settle down.” 

“Are they here to watch me?” Jimin asked.

“No. Just to hang out. My apartment’s the closest to one of our docks.” Jongin told him. He looked at Jimin for a moment with an emotion Jimin couldn’t quite understand, and smiled at him. 

“I’ll be back around nine.” Jongin promised.

“That’s a long meeting.” Jimin mumbled. He didn’t want to be without Jongin; especially when his gang would be hanging out. 

“I’ll bring back dinner.” Jongin told him. “Go take a shower. I’ll see you tonight.”

Jongin packed a lot of Jimin’s clothes. Jimin found the backpack Jongin had packed and brought along from his apartment, and he discovered almost his entire wardrobe inside. He found his tooth brush and tooth paste in the front pocket, along with his phone and his charger. His wallet he found lost in the packed pile of clothes, and deep down, he found the picture frames he kept on his desk. No wonder the backpack looked like it was going to explode. Jongin had moved all of Jimin’s belongings with them. 

He didn’t realize he was smiling so big. When he caught himself, he wondered why he was smiling so much. He changed into jeans and a white shirt instead of asking himself too many questions, and wondered if Jongin would let him set up his picture frames. He decided to wait for Jongin to return.

Then, he heard laughter from outside the door. Jongin’s gang was still here. Jimin cringed at the thought of going out, and wondered if he could hide inside the bedroom until they all left. 

Unfortunately, his brief plans were foiled. There was a knock at the door, and Jimin was despaired at the thought of talking to more strangers. Couldn’t these people tell he was shy? Why did they keep talking to him?

He awkwardly opened the door, and behind it, Sehun stood. He stared at Jimin as though he wasn’t expecting him to open the door, then looked at his feet with a blush. 

“Um, Chanyeol wants to know if he can do a background check on you.” Sehun mumbled.

“A background check?” Jimin almost fainted. “I don’t have anything to hide though!”

“I’m sorry.” He apologized immediately. “Can I have… Can I know your age?”

“I’m nineteen!” Jimin cried. “And Jongin told you everything else already!” 

“You’re nineteen?” Sehun met Jimin’s eyes. “I’m twenty one.”

“Oh.” Jimin’s sharp replies went dry. “Are you one of the older ones?”

“I’m the youngest.” Sehun blushed. “Me and Kim Kai.”

“Kim Kai?” Jimin echoed. 

“Jongin. That’s his code name. He’s twenty one too.” Sehun explained, and Jimin’s heart almost stopped. 

“I’ve been talking to him without honorifics this entire time!” Jimin said in horror. “He looks my age!”

“I thought you were sixteen.” Sehun confessed shyly. 

Jimin sighed heavily. “How old are the rest of you?”

“Well, Junmyeon hyung, Minseok hyung and Lay hyung are the eldest, and they’re all twenty five. Baekhyun hyung and Jongdae hyung are twenty four, and Kyungsoo hyung is twenty three.”

“Wow.” Jimin breathed. “These are really old people.”

“Not that old.” Sehun mumbled. 

Then, they stood in silence. Jimin and Sehun were both blushing and staring at the floor, too shy to keep up any more conversation. 

“Are you shy?” Sehun said. 

“Yeah.” Jimin agreed.

There was more silence.

“That’s good, because Jongin hyung is a loner. He doesn’t like too many people.” Sehun went on, trying to talk to Jimin.

“He doesn’t seem like a loner.” Jimin said, avoiding Sehun’s gaze despite the fact that it was glued to the floor. “He talks a lot around me.”

“Oh.” Sehun sounded dejected. “He talks a lot around you?”

Jimin smiled. “Yeah. He talks all day.”

“He must really like you.” Sehun muttered, and that shy innocence suddenly rubbed off into a sad, defeated sort of posture. 

“You think so?” Jimin felt awkward again. What was up with Sehun? Was it something he said? Maybe losing his temper and acting like he was older than Sehun wasn’t the best move earlier. 

“Do you want to come out?” Sehun switched the topic. “Everybody really wants to meet you.”

Jimin was very, very tempted to say no. In fact, that was the first thing he was getting ready to say, but he remembered Jongin’s sweet face looking down at him, and he sighed. “Yeah. I’ll go.”

In the living room, a couple things were made clear. Baekhyun and Chanyeol loved to annoy Jongdae, who seemed completely obvious (or totally used to) their obnoxious poking and teasing. Jongdae was as sweet as Jimin imagined; he didn’t care about Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s teasing, and was still laughing even when Minseok said something unfunny. Kyungsoo was staring at the ceiling, but every time that Baekhyun said something funny, he’d laugh too. Also, Jimin noticed just from the moment he and Sehun reached the living room that either Baekhyun and Chanyeol were very affectionate, or they were dating. 

Baekhyun was sitting in Chanyeol’s lap, and Chanyeol had his arms around him in an almost way too romantic way to be just friends. That’s what Jimin picked up anyway. 

“Park Jimin!” Baekhyun gasped from Chanyeol’s lap. The boys let out random noises as they turned to see Jimin, and Sehun led the smaller boy to sit on the couch beside him. 

“He’s younger than all of us.” Sehun announced. “No need for honorifics.”

“Kyungsoo was right. He’s really pretty.” Baekhyun said, and Chanyeol glared at him. Jimin thought they were cute for a gangster couple. 

“Thank you.” He said shyly.

“Hey, if you’re not dating Kai, why not date Sehun?” Chanyeol suggested. “He’s handsome. You both are shy too.”

“Ignore him,” Jongdae interrupted. “He’s been trying to get Sehun to date for months.”

“Sehun got his heart broken by an older girl!” Minseok teased. “It’s only natural he’s not ready to date!”

“He looks pretty into Jimin.” Baekhyun chirped. “Sehun, are you into Jimin?”

Sehun looked like he was about to cry. Jimin was red in the face. 

“See? Sehun and a shy kid is an awful pairing. What even made you think of it?” Baekhyun complained to Chanyeol. Chanyeol puckered his lips for a kiss instead of responding.

“Uh,” Jimin interrupted quietly. “Where is Lay? There’s nine… members right?”

“Lay’s in China for the week.” Minseok smiled at Jimin as he explained. “He’s back on Friday.”

“Is he Chinese?” Jimin asked.

“Yeah. He takes care of our business there. Jongdae and I usually go, but Lay thought it would be a bad idea if we went this time.” Minseok told him.

“Why would it be a bad idea?” Jimin blinked at Minseok, and Minseok looked fondly at him.

“There’s been some tensions between our gang. If Lay brings a bunch of Koreans, it’ll look like we’re there to do something bad.” Minseok said. “It’s better if Lay goes on his own.”

“Oh.” Jimin said softly. 

“You’re so cute.” Minseok suddenly cooed, and Jimin blushed at the compliment coming from the handsome man. “And you’re so much younger. If you weren’t nineteen, I’d be flirting with you.”

“Isn’t nineteen adult?” Baekhyun pondered.

“Yeah, but hyung is like way older than him.” Chanyeol sniffed. “It’ll probably look creepy.” 

“It doesn’t look creepy.” Minseok scoffed, looking insulted. “I eternally look like I’m seventeen. It’s a blessing. It’ll just be creepy.”

“What’s the difference?” Kyungsoo stopped staring at the ceiling to make the comment. “Hyung, what time is it?”

Jongdae checked his watch, and looked surprised. “Time for us to go.” He mumbled. “Jimin, Jongin gave me your number. I’ll text you a hi, and you can text me about whatever you need.”

Jimin nodded gratefully to the handsome man. Jongdae grinned at him. “You are really cute.” He remarked. “Your cheeks are so chubby.”

Jimin laughed awkwardly, and Jongdae ruffled his hair in return. The members got up one by one, chattering aimlessly with each other as they shoved their guns into their waist bands and checked their pockets for phones, bullets and other things. Jimin sat awkwardly, but he was given company once Sehun crouched down in front of him.

“Call me.” Sehun’s cheeks were red as he held out a piece of paper. “If anything goes wrong. Kim Kai probably put his number in your phone, but I want you to call me first.”

He was being pretty aggressive about it, so Jimin accepted the paper. Sehun tried to hide his smile, but it was too obvious. As he was getting up, Jimin spotted his ear to ear grin. Jimin thought he was sort of weird.

They left with no clear goodbyes to Jimin, and Jimin happily closed the door and locked it. Mochi circled around his feet, and he looked affectionately to her. He crouched down, and ran his hand over her spine. “Hey beautiful.” Jimin cooed. “You like Jongin’s place? Oh… Maybe I should be calling him hyung.”

Mochi rubbed her head on Jimin’s leg. 

“Are you hungry?” Jimin asked, and scooped his cat up. “Maybe Jongin has some meat in the fridge.”  
As the afternoon progressed, and Jimin had explored all of Jongin’s suite, he was sitting in Jongin’s bed, playing on his phone while Mochi slept. His rhythm game was interrupted- Hoseok was calling him.

“Jung Hoseok!” Jimin chirped, smiling as he greeted him. 

“ _Jimin. Where are you?_ ”

Hoseok sounded tense. Jimin took a moment before replying; he wasn’t sure how to respond, especially when Hoseok sounded so upset.

“I’m at my mom’s.” Jimin said. He felt bad lying, but Jongin was a criminal in the end. If he didn’t keep his secret, bad things might happen to Jongin, or even worse, Jimin’s friends, if that’s how Jongin liked to play revenge.

“ _You’re not at your mom’s._ ”

“I am!” Jimin insisted. “Hoseok, why are you being so weird?”

“ _Taehyung got a call at four in the morning from your cousin asking to take care of the shop. Even when you were sick you wouldn’t let Namjoon run the shop. And I thought your mom cut you off? Why would you be helping her?_ ”

“She’s still my mom.” Jimin muttered. “When I heard she was really sick, I just had to go and check if she was alright. I’ll be here for a couple weeks taking care of her, but I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry, okay? Isn’t it finals season anyways?”

“ _I can’t call you just because it’s finals season? Jimin, come on._ ”

Jimin’s eyes were stinging. He didn’t know why. Hoseok had called to check up on him because he was worried- he should be happy. Shouldn’t he? Why did he feel like crying? 

“I have to go.” His voice broke. He heard Hoseok protesting, but he didn’t stay on the line long enough to listen to it. Tears were slipping from his eyes- no matter how he tried to stop them, the tears just kept coming. He felt awful. He sobbed and wept, wiped the tears from his cheeks until they were red and irritated, but he did not stop crying, and the awful feeling did not go away. 

Jimin had slept after that, and when Jongin returned in the night, he went to wake him up. Jimin got up, eyes red and puffy with red cheeks and swollen lips. 

“Jongin?” Jimin croaked.

“Were you crying?” Jongin looked scared. “What happened? Did my guys say anything weird?”

Jimin shook his head. “My friend called me.”

“Oh shit. Taehyung? What’d he say?” Jongin scooted closer to Jimin, concern written in his face.

“No, my other friend. Hoseokie hyung.” Jimin said, and rubbed his nose. “I don’t know why I started crying. I just hung up on him and cried for a long time.”

“Do you miss him?” Jongin asked. “Do you wanna go back? Jimin, just tell me if you want to go back. I know I made it sound complicated, but I can get a couple of bodyguards for you and you can be at home. Do you want that? Oh god, you look like you cried so much…”

“No.” Jimin said immediately. “I’m sorry. I mean… I don’t wanna go. I wanna be here with you. I just- I really don’t know why I cried. Maybe it’s because he called me out of nowhere. We really haven’t called or talked much since a couple months ago…”

What were these excuses? He knew Jongin was simplifying things about the situation, and knew that he just wanted to make Jimin feel comfortable. Jimin didn’t quite know why he cried over Hoseok, but he didn’t know why he was so quick to tell Jongin he wanted to stay either. Was he that lonely? 

“Should we eat some food?” Jongin suggested gently instead of pushing Jimin any more.

Jongin was sweet. Jimin helped make them food, and Jongin fed as much food as he could to Jimin while carrying out a comfortable conversation. Jongin had been sweet since the first time he and Jimin spoke, and Jimin was no stranger to his kindness. He had a kind heart, Jimin came to understand, and he’d taken Jimin into his heart too. Whatever it meant, Jimin knew that Jongin really liked him, and Jimin really liked Jongin too. 

Jongin made him feel less lonely. Jongin made him laugh again. Jongin made it feel like life was normal- Jongin even got him to start feeling hungry again. 

“I wish I knew you in high school.” Jimin suddenly sighed. They were sitting on the couch, Jongin texting Lay and Jimin watching a movie on Jongin’s massive flat screen TV. 

“What?” Jongin looked up from his phone. “Why?”

“I’m grateful for my friends.” Jimin said before he could explain. “They were there for me every step of the way. But even they didn’t know how to act when I changed. I stopped dancing, I didn’t like to sing anymore, I stopped eating, I didn’t want to go to college anymore… But you just make it feel normal. Like… nothing changed at all. Like I’m still me, even after everything.”

Jongin stared at him. 

“Thank you for that, by the way.” Jimin met his gaze despite the shyness creeping into him. “Thank you for everything.”

Jongin’s face was turning red. When Jimin leaned closer, he realized Jongin was not breathing.

“Jongin!” Jimin shook his shoulders, eyes widening. “Jongin, are you okay? Are you having a seizure?”

Jongin coughed, and gasped for air, then coughed again. “I’m so sorry!” He choked through coughs. “I’m so sorry, I forgot to breathe!”

“How did you forget to breathe?!” Jimin cried, and roughly pat Jongin’s back.

“I have a lot of reasons.” Jongin wheezed. He gently pushed Jimin’s hand aside. “I’m okay, I’m okay.”

“Did my speech do that to you?” Jimin tried joking, but Jongin still looked a bit winded.

“Yes.” Jongin said. “Yes, it was really touching. Jimin, did you know that you have…. well you have, um, very pretty eyes?”

Jimin blushed. “What?” 

“Nothing.” Jongin said quickly. “I’m tired. Should we go to bed?”

Jimin did not get to agree, because Jongin was already fumbling to turn off the television. He followed him as he fast-walked stiffly down the hall. Jimin turned the lights off as they went. 

Once they reached the bedroom, Jimin stopped at the door.

“Um, Jongin? I mean…. hyung?” Jimin called, and Jongin stopped dead in his tracks in the dark bedroom. “Can we buy cat food tomorrow? Mochi also needs a litter box. I put a box for her to pee and poop in, but I think a litter box would be a lot better.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, we can buy all of that in the morning. We’ll have to go a little early though,” Jongin told him. He moved to turn on the lights. “Hey. Did you call me hyung?”

“Yes.” Jimin confirmed softly.

“You can just call me Jongin.” His voice broke a bit. “If you want. But I like hyung. I… it’s really cute. But, um, maybe not a lot. Or maybe yes. It’s up to you though, I don’t have to decide. For you. I don’t have to decide for you. Because I can’t, I’m not supposed to.”

“Hyung,” Jimin interrupted. “Should we go to bed?”

Jongin’s knee buckled, but he quickly straightened himself. “Yes. Yes, we should go to bed.”

The next morning, they ate together (Jimin agreed to eat his own plate, but he didn’t eat much before feeling queasy) and left for the grocery shop. Jimin hadn’t been grocery shopping in months; he usually got his store supplies by delivery, and the last time he went must’ve been with his mom. Jimin absentmindedly filled their cart with things he liked to eat once they found Mochi’s cat food. He felt guilty afterwards when he realized how much Jongin was paying for all Jimin’s snacks and Mochi’s bags of food.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized as they hauled grocery bags to Jongin’s car.

“Don’t be sorry.” Jongin smiled down at him. “I like eating all this stuff too.”

“Should I pay you back? It was a lot of snacks.” Jimin pushed, still feeling guilty. 

“You can’t pay me back for anything. I won’t allow it. Everything I’m doing for you is because you saved my life two times.” Jongin told him firmly, and Jimin blushed. 

“You’re not a very good businessman. You could’ve swindled me into paying you more than you spent.” Jimin mumbled. Jongin nudged him in response, telling him his spew was stupid.

Jongin went to work after that, and Jimin didn’t see much of him. He came back late into the night- Jimin stirred once he heard rustling in the bathroom, and sat up to see what was happening. He checked the clock, and discovered it was two am; Jongin had gotten back from work late. 

Jimin stared at the open bathroom door through a groggy vision, and though he didn’t really have a clear view inside, he saw Jongin drying his hair with a towel, and assumed he either had pants or shorts on.

“Jimin!” Jongin noticed him, jumping backwards. “Damn, you scared me! Go back to sleep.”

“What took you so long?” Jimin mumbled, and shut his eyes as he was sitting up. He heard the bathroom lights switch off, and soon after, he felt the bed dip beside him. 

“It was a long day.” Jongin told him gently. He was carefully laying Jimin back down, and Jimin didn’t think much of it in his sleepy state. “I’m here now.”

“Mm,” Jimin hummed, and Jongin let Jimin’s head slip onto the pillow. Jimin felt Jongin settle in beside him, and pull the blankets over them.

Despite the bed being massive, Jongin and Jimin slept close together for some reason. Jimin didn’t mind the proximity. Deep down, he knew he really liked it. So it was no surprise when he felt Jongin’s breath on his ear. 

“Should we go on a date tomorrow?” Jongin muttered. 

“To where?” Jimin asked, falling asleep. 

“Should we go to Haeundae?” Jongin asked, wrapping his arms around Jimin’s waist. Jimin shifted closer to him. 

“That’s in Busan.” He murmured. “Good night.”

“Busan’s not far.” Jongin told him, but Jimin was already sleeping. “I’ll go wherever you want.”


	2. Chapter 2

In the morning, Jimin had not forgotten Jongin’s request to go to Haeundae- as a date. He hovered around him with a red face as Jongin brushed his teeth, and when he offered to make breakfast, Jongin smiled at him. Jimin’s heart almost stopped. Did Jongin remember the date too? Was that why he was smiling?

Jimin made him some eggs and sausage, and Jongin insisted Jimin eat too, as usual. He ate a bite of Jongin’s sausage, and a little bit of his egg, but went back to shyly looking at his hands.

“What’s up?” Jongin asked, noticing his expression. “Why’re you so red?”

“Oh,” Jimin looked up at him, but couldn’t hold the gaze for long. “Oh… It’s, um, thanks for feeding me?”

Jongin put down his chopsticks. Then, he grinned. “We’ll go to Haeundae next weekend.”

“How’d you know I was thinking about that?” Jimin gaped.

“Just guessed.” Jongin said sheepishly. “It would’ve been embarrassing if I was wrong.”

Jimin laughed at him, and Jongin looked away in embarrassment. 

“Why can’t we go today? Do you have work?” Jimin went on, and Jongin nodded. 

“It’s our friend’s birthday party. We’re really close to the gang who’s throwing it, so we’ve all gotta show up.” Jongin explained. “So that’s why… I want you to come. I should introduce you to Jeongyeon.” 

“You want me to go?” Jimin asked, eyes wide. “But that’s a gangster party!”

Jongin smiled affectionately at him. “Do you know how much you make my heart squeeze?”

Jimin blushed. These days, it seemed he was blushing a lot. He wondered if he’d ever knock out from all the blood rushing to his face. “What?” He stuttered.

“I asked you on a date, didn’t I?” Jongin was still smiling at him fondly. “Go change. I got a suit for you yesterday. It’s in the closet.”

“You got a suit for me? How do you know my sizes?” Jimin looked at him, surprised. 

“Just guessed it was all small.” Jongin told him. “See if it fits.”

It did fit. It fit very well. It was a red suit- the subtle sort of red- and he was wearing a black button up beneath it. He found shoes in Jongin’s closet that were also for him, and found it was the right size too. He stepped back, and when he looked in the mirror, he wondered if he should style his hair. Did Jongin have any eyeliner? Maybe he should ask. 

Jimin left the bedroom, and found Jongin waiting on the couch.

“Should I do my hair?” He called, and Jongin looked up. 

“Jimin!” He jumped to his feet. “Damn. You look really- I mean, you look handsome. Really, really handsome.”

Jimin blushed again. “Thanks.” He mumbled. “Still… should I do my hair?”

Jongin laughed. “Yeah, you can if you want. I’ve got gel in the guest bathroom. But you look good either way.”

“Do you have eyeliner?” Jimin asked quietly. 

“Do you want some?” Jongin grinned. “I have lip tint too. I’ll get it ready, just let me go change.”

“Okay.” Jimin nodded eagerly.

Jongin changed (it was a red suit too, but more vibrant than Jimin’s. He wasn’t wearing anything beneath it- the jacket was only buttoned one time and his solid torso and chest were on display. Jimin had to stop himself from looking), and the pair did their make up together. 

“Wow. Your lips are so big, it makes the lipstick look really good.” Jimin remarked. 

“It looks good on your lips too.” Jongin complimented, and Jimin couldn’t hide his smile. “I like eyeshadow more than eyeliner. I barely wear any.” 

“Is Sehun going?” Jimin asked. Then, he corrected himself quickly. “Sorry, Sehun hyung. Is he going?”

“Everybody’s going.” Jongin told him as he blended the colors on his eyelid. “Are you friends with Sehun?”

“He was really nice.” Jimin told him gently. “Everybody was nice, but hyung was the nicest. He told me to call him if anything goes wrong.”

Jongin stopped doing his eyeshadow. “Would you call me or him?” He asked, and Jimin blushed.

“What?” He asked.

“If you were in real danger, would you call me or Sehun?” Jongin looked serious, and Jimin wondered how he should respond.

“I haven’t really thought about it.” Jimin mumbled, and Jongin looked pale. He took Jimin’s hands in his, leaving Jimin frozen from the sudden touch, and stepped closer to him. 

“You have to call me, okay?” Jongin was trying to look into Jimin’s eyes, but Jimin kept dodging his gaze. He was too embarrassed to meet Jongin's eyes- what was this sudden outburst over who Jimin should call? “Nobody else. I’ll drop everything and come to you. You’re my only priority, Park Jimin.”

“What are you talking about?” Jimin ducked his head, and his hands fell limp in Jongin’s. 

“I want to be the one to protect you.” Jongin pushed his explanation. “Not Sehun, or Kyungsoo, or any of my hyungs. Just me.”

“Okay!” Jimin whined. “I get it! I’ll only call you! But why are you so hung up on this protection thing? Jongin, I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. I know you’re living alone and running your grandma’s shop completely alone, and I know you don’t have your family’s support- I’m super aware you can take care of yourself.” Jongin soothed, but Jimin didn’t like his tone. He listened awkwardly instead of interrupting. “But this is gangster stuff, Jimin. Guns and vengeance and drug deals and loyalty, everything you see in the movies. Just a little worse. So you have to understand why I’m so worried.”

“I don’t really understand…” Jimin muttered. 

“I have to be there for you. I… This is gonna sound bad, but I don’t trust the other guys to protect you like I would. They don’t really trust you yet, you know?” Jongin was leaning down to try and talk face to face with Jimin by that point, but Jimin kept his head firmly bowed. “That’s why. Not because I think you’re weak or anything. I know you’re really strong.”

Jimin sighed. He looked up, and met Jongin’s eyes. “Thank you.” He told him. He knew what Jongin was saying was true; and he, to some extent, understood. Jongin had brought Jimin the trouble, and Jongin had taken him for protection, so if Jimin was to die or be hurt under the care of somebody who wasn’t Jongin, the guilt would eat him away. 

Jimin understood that much, at least. And he liked Jongin- he liked to think he knew him too. He wouldn’t lie like that to him. “I’ll call you.” 

Jongin smiled, and squeezed Jimin’s hands. He let go of one, and kept a tight hold on the other. “Let’s finish putting on make up, and we can go watch a movie. Jeongyeon’s party doesn’t start until a little later.”

It was a twenty minute drive in the depths of the night to Jeongyeon’s party. The windows in Jongin’s car were heavily tinted, almost black, but Jimin was able to enjoy Seoul’s pretty scenery despite it. 

“So is Jeongyeon your enemy gang? No, right?” Jimin asked as he sat back. He was tired of looking out the window- his neck was hurting.

“No. She’s our really good friend.” Jongin said. “But we go to rival gang parties sometimes. It’s pretty dangerous, but they’re usually thrown to talk deals and money in a more… I don’t know, fun environment? It’s easier to talk to each other since the mood is usually good at parties.”

“Am I gonna go with you to a rival party?” Jimin asked.

“Not even over video call.” Jongin scoffed. “The last thing I want is rivaling gangs knowing about you.”

“What? Why? Because I can’t fight them?” Jimin frowned. “They kill people just because of that?”

“No!” Jongin laughed. “You being with me and going to parties with me means something.”

“What does it mean?” Jimin was leaning in his seat, ready to hear Jongin’s explanation. 

“That you matter to me. If we piss them off, maybe they’ll take you from me. Use you against me, blackmail me with you.” 

Jimin fell silent and settled back in his seat. 

“What? Did that scare you?” Jongin laughed again. He reached over to take Jimin’s hand in his. “Don’t be scared. They can’t blackmail me with you. All the other gangs are terrified of me.” 

“But you just said…” Jimin trailed off, too upset to argue. “Why do you keep holding my hand?”

“I just told you.” Jongin said. “You matter to me.”

Jeongyeon’s party was everything but lowkey. Jongin pulled the car into the driveway of a massive two story home, windows lit up with golden colors and illuminating black, foreign cars, all parked along the street. 

“Aren’t you scared the cops will get you guys?” Jimin asked as Jongin opened the door for him.

“Not really.” Jongin held out a hand for Jimin to help him out of the car. “We’re sort of… Well, we’re kind of the mafia. Cops are a little too scared to touch us. Especially Jeongyeon’s gang. When Jihyo was the leader, there was a mole in her gang. Those informant cops, you know? She killed her with one shot, right between the eyes.” 

“Right between the eyes?” Jimin echoed. 

“While she was running away.” Jongin grinned, and shut the door behind Jimin. 

“Why isn’t Jihyo leading the gang anymore?” Jimin asked, curious with the context he’d been picking up.

Jongin was silent. They walked up Jeongyeon’s driveway, streetlights darkly lighting Jongin’s handsome face as he stared ahead.

“Jihyo died.” He finally said. “Today’s her birthday.” 

Before entering, Jongin straightened Jimin’s tux, and Jimin took the liberty to fix Jongin’s hair. Jongin informed that Jimin had only one noona; Nayeon, who was just a couple months older than him. 

“Woah! They’re all younger than me?” Jimin gaped.

“Yeah!” Jongin chuckled. “They’re all beautiful, so don’t forget to keep your mouth shut. There’s other gangs coming, and they’re all your hyungs.”

“Jeongyeon’s gang is the only girl gang?” Jimin asked.

“Nope. Jennie’s gang is just coming late. Only Jisoo is your noona. Oh! Hyojung’s gang! Hyojung is older than you too. And Irene’s gang! Irene, Seulgi and Wendy are all older.” Jongin explained. 

Jimin suddenly felt weary. How was he supposed to remember all these names? And how was he meant to know who Hyojung and Jisoo and Nayeon were? 

“Don’t be nervous.” Jongin soothed. “You’ll be with me the whole time.”

He opened the doors, and immediately loud chatter and the rhythmic thump of music were sounding. Jongin shut the door once the pair entered, and he led Jimin down the massive hall ( Jimin was in awe of the spiraling marble staircase and twinkling chandelier ). Jongin led him through the living room and opened the back doors to show the massive backyard, where the party really was. 

Jimin’s ears almost trembled when Jongin opened the door. Immediately, Jimin saw sparkling skin-tight dresses and fitted tuxedos, legs in the pool and beers galore in tender-looking hands. There was a trend amongst the young mafia gangsters: they were all teenagers. Jongin had informed Jimin that he only had a select pick of noonas, leaving the other boy gangs to be much older than him- but even the boys scattering the yard still had baby fat on their noses and rounded cheeks. 

Another trend: they were all incredibly gorgeous. The girls that beautified the yard had shapely bodies for their young ages, and their faces exceeded Korean beauty standards by a long shot. The same could be said for boys: tight muscles were accented despite their narrow shoulders, and the handsome traits of their faces made Jimin think that Jongin wasn’t as handsome as he first thought. Beyond the pool, massive buffet and crowd of gangsters, a lanky, gorgeous stranger stood DJ-ing, playing banger after banger. 

“Can we hold hands?” Jimin whispered to Jongin, intimidated by the beauty of the gangsters.

“Should I put my hand on your waist?” Jongin whispered back, as best as he could over the music. Jimin thought he looked shy as he requested to hold Jimin’s waist. 

“That’s what Jongdae hyung does with his fiancé. He always has his hand on her waist at parties.” Jongin mumbled, looking away from Jimin.

Jimin blushed, but he didn’t want to disagree. He’d be more comfortable the closer Jongin held him. “Okay.” He agreed, and Jongin’s face lit up (it made Jimin smile a little too). “I thought Jongdae had a wife, not a fiancé!”

“Fiancé.” Jongin corrected, still smiling. “But they’re so in love! They’ll get married for sure. Okay, let’s walk around and say hi.”

The first person they approached was an incredibly handsome guy. His eyebrows were arched in a manner that made him look mildly expressionless, but his lips were so full and jaw so gorgeous that the expressionless manner made him even more charming. 

“Shownu hyung, this is Park Jimin.” Jongin introduced, and Shownu pat Jongin affectionately on the back as a greeting.

“New boyfriend?” Shownu blinked at Jongin.

“I hope.” Jongin said shyly. Jimin looked at his feet. 

“Just make a move. Don’t be so shy.” Shownu encouraged. “Park Jimin doesn’t mind. Hi, Jimin. I’m Shownu.”

“Hi.” Jimin said quietly, and shook Shownu’s offered hand.

“My gang are the Monstas.” Shownu told him simply. “We’re all really bulky. You’ll recognize us really fast. Oh Jongin, did you see Chanyeol? Jooheon’s going crazy looking for him.”

“I haven’t seen any of my guys yet.” Jongin told him. “Hey, is JB hyung’s gang here?”

“Not yet. They’re landing at the airport and coming straight here.” Shownu said.

“Damn, straight here? They got business in China yesterday?” Jongin whistled.

“Tons. Hey, take a shot.” Shownu said as a waiter passed by, and he took two shot glasses from the tray. 

“For Jihyo.” Jongin raised his glass.

“For Jihyo.” Shownu echoed, and the two drank at the same time. Jimin suddenly wondered if he should drink too.

“Shit, that’s good.” Jongin cried, and the pair clinked their glasses together before setting them on a table. “I should go say hi to everybody else. Gotta see Jeongyeon.”

“Might be hard. Heard she’s in a terrible mood.” Shownu sighed.

“I bet all the girls are in a terrible mood.” Jongin remarked, looking sad. Shownu pat Jongin’s back as a goodbye, and Jongin set off with Jimin.

Jongin greeted various gorgeous gangsters as they passed on by, but stopped to formally greet leaders and right hands.

“Wonho hyung!” Jongin looked excited to greet him. He briefly let go of Jimin to pull Wonho into a hug, and the two squeezed each other before pulling away.

“Jongin! You look so handsome in your red suit!” Wonho cooed. He was gorgeous- probably the most gorgeous guy he’d seen the whole night. Plush lips, the top uniquely bigger than the bottom, pretty eyes and a little face, Wonho had a gentle look to contrast the massive size of his body. His muscles looked like they were ripping his button up. He must be a Monsta.

“Is this your boyfriend?” Wonho turned to greet Jimin happily. 

“No.” Jimin said shyly. Wonho went “ahh” and looked at Jongin knowingly. 

“You’re really beautiful.” Wonho complimented, smiling at Jimin. And suddenly, Jimin felt his heart flutter- he was talking to him directly. Not like he was an object attached to Jongin’s hip. 

“Thank you.” Jimin murmured, flushed. 

“Enjoy the party, okay? Talk to me if you want anything.” Wonho’s smile was so pretty. “But Jongin’s probably got that covered, right?”

Jongin nodded aggressively, to which Wonho laughed. 

“Hey, want a drink?” Wonho offered, nabbing a drink from a gangster with slit eyes. He looked furious, and went on to yell at Wonho, but was ignored. 

“Poor Jooheon.” Jongin laughed, and the two raised their glasses to the sky.

“For Jihyo.” They said, and knocked back their cups. 

“How high is your alcohol tolerance?” Jimin asked him as they walked away from Wonho.

“Super high. It builds up the more of these parties you go to.” Jongin said.

“Do you guys always toast to dead people?” Jimin went on.

“Not really. Just Jihyo.” Jongin said. “She was everybody’s good friend. She was supposed to turn seventeen today.”

Jimin pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. Jongin’s mood had fallen, and so did his face. Jimin had been through the same thing, but he of all people knew that there was nothing that could be said to comfort grief. 

Instead, he rested his head on Jongin’s shoulder as they walked. Jongin seemed to relax at the gesture. 

“But we drink shit loads at these parties anyways.” Jongin said, and the mood grew light again.

Jongin greeted Irene and her right hand Wendy, and the trio took a shot for Jihyo again. When Jongin went to say hi to Hyojung and her right hand, Jimin was already used to the bittersweet toast to the stars. He started to feel a little sad the more he saw the gesture; he noticed the gloomy twinkle in Hyojung and Mimi’s eyes as they raised their glasses to the heavens, and Jongin’s sad face when he knocked back his drinks. 

Jongin greeted Taeyong, who too was just a couple of months older than Jimin, and the pair hugged and laughed and pet each other’s heads in elation. Taeyong had two right hands; Kun and Jeno, which greeted Jimin happily and Jongin even happier. They parroted the “Kai hyung, Kai hyung!” And gushed over him until they all did their commemorative drink to the sky. They looked a little drunk.

“His gang has twenty one members.” Jongin informed as they stepped away.

“What the hell?” Jimin replied in shock. 

They met with Seungcheol and his right hand, Joshua, both Jimin’s age too, and had a brief chat before knocking back shots for Jihyo. It looked like they didn’t know each other very well. 

“Half of these people are younger than me or my age.” Jimin muttered to Jongin. “Why did you say they’re all my hyungs?!”

“Well… Shownu’s gang are all your hyungs.” Jongin said thoughtfully.

“Jongin, are you drunk yet?” Jimin stared suspiciously at him. “There’s no way you take that many shots and feel fine.” 

“Just a little.” Jongin grinned. “But Seungcheol’s gang was the last gang we have to greet. Jeongyeon might make another toast for Jihyo, but that’s about as much as I’ll drink tonight. Unless… Chorong and Jimin noona are here! Oh, and Seungyeon… and Sowon!” 

Chorong and Jimin were there, and Jongin took shots with each one respectively. Luckily, Seungyeon and Sowon were too drunk to toast with alcohol; they offered Jongin water instead, and then said their toasts to Jihyo.

“I forgot how many girls there are!” Jongin hiccuped. “Jimin, I’m not wasted. I’m just a little tipsy.”

“I can tell.” Jimin pat his shoulder. “Jongin, should we find your gang?”

Jongin squeezed Jimin’s waist instead of replying. “Your waist is so little!” He crooned, and let his head fall onto Jimin’s shoulder. “Jimin, how many dates should we go on? Five dates? Twelve dates?! Oh my god, we can’t go on twelve dates!”

“Jimin!” Chanyeol was behind him, massive hand on his shoulder. “Jongin’s wasted already?”

“Hyung!” Jongin sobbed, but didn’t lift his head from Jimin’s shoulder. “Hyung, is that you?!”

“Junmyeon hyung thought he could handle the toasts.” Chanyeol sighed. “He’s always been a lightweight.”

“He drank more than five shots.” Jimin said, confused on what Chanyeol’s definition of lightweight was.

“We’re supposed to drink nine times for Jihyo.” Chanyeol frowned. “Five shots is nothing. Hey, follow me! They’ve got designated tables in the second yard.”

“There’s a second yard?” Jimin repeated, and was quick to follow Chanyeol to wherever that was. Jongin followed awkwardly, still clinging onto Jimin. 

Jimin had never heard of rented stone tables. He’d also never eaten with gold utensils, but he supposed there was a first for everything. Jongin’s gang was loosely gathered at the table: Jongdae and his quite beautiful fiancé were there, and Kyungsoo was sitting across from them, staring at the sky. Minseok was there too, but he was engaged in an ear rattling conversation with a table of gangsters across from them. As for Chanyeol, he had gone straight to Baekhyun and kissed him almost uncomfortably deep before whisking him away to socialize. 

“I’m not that drunk!” Jongin kept insisting to Jimin, his face completely red. “Noona, tell Jimin I’m totally sober.”

“He’s a little tipsy.” Jongdae’s fiancé said, and smiled sweetly at Jimin. “All this must be really new for you, right? It was for me too. Jongdae never brought me to any of these, and I was glad, but there’s just no way to keep his life totally out of our private life at home, you know? It took a while to get used to. I still hate this gangster stuff, but I love Jongdae, so I’ve come to terms with it. You’ll come to terms with everything soon too.”

“Yeah, Jimin loves me.” Jongin said happily and put his head on Jimin’s shoulder. Jimin felt like running away. 

“Thank you.” He gave Jongdae’s fiancé his prettiest smile. “It is pretty new to me. I’m the same as you, I guess. I just like Jongin, so I tolerate it.”

“Maybe you can do what I couldn’t.” She said, and winked at Jimin. “Maybe you could whisk him away!”

“There’s no way.” Jongdae laughed. “Jongin is Junmyeon hyung’s right hand, babe. If Jimin whisks him away, the both of them get killed.”

“Don’t say that.” His fiancé pouted and hit Jongdae’s arm. 

“Jimin, you like me?” Jongin was looking up at him with glassy eyes.

“Drink your water.” Jimin switched topics, and hovered Jongin’s tall wine glass of water in his face. Jongin sat up and drank it obediently.

After that, Jongin fell asleep, and small talk ceased. Jongdae didn’t seem particularly interested in talking to Jimin despite having been kind to him the other day, Kyungsoo was too uninterested to carry out any conversation with him, Minseok had gotten up to sit at the other table, and Jongdae’s wife had run out of things to say. It felt awkward, as it always did. 

Jimin started to wish he were home. This party, this house, this life was completely alien to Jimin. Every aspect of Jongin’s day to day life was different, and Jimin was realizing in the midst of thumping music and loud chatter that he was having a hard time keeping up with all of it. In fact, he wasn’t keeping up at all. 

He hated the way the gangsters looked over him. He despised the way they all saw Jimin as Jongin’s toy for the week, and he didn’t want to be protected or cared for anymore. He didn’t understand the deals or luxurious houses, still had no idea how these kids made so much money, and he was feeling sick of that ill, grieving feeling in his heart that had settled for a person he never knew.

He just wanted to be at his rice cake shop. He wanted, for the first time ever, to go back to being lonely, to retreat back upstairs every night with nobody but Mochi and the possibility of a phone call from Namjoon in the depth of the night. He figured it was better than getting turned into an object by a bunch of teenage gangsters. 

He rested his head on Jongin’s. Despite everything, at least he had Jongin. Even if Jongin saw him as a weak kid who couldn’t protect himself, he treated Jimin like a human. Besides, the protection came with good reason. Jimin really couldn’t defend himself against a bunch of gangsters, and Jongin knew that. 

And even with that, Jimin was starting to like Jongin in a different way than what he previously thought. 

Things weren’t bad so long as Jongin was with him. As Jimin eased out of his thoughts, he realized people were coming down from the pool area. Girls came down the slope in massive heels, and Jimin would be sorry for them if he hadn’t noticed Wonho was wearing heels too. 

People filled in the tables, sitting with their respective gangs. Jimin got to see just how massive Shownu’s gang was, and he was not disappointed. Each one of them looked like monsters, broad shoulders, big builds and sexy faces despite being so young. 

“Jongin, wake up.” Jimin whispered, prodding his side. “Wake up. I think Jeongyeon is gonna talk.”

Jongin snuggled his head onto Jimin’s shoulder. Jimin kept poking him, but was interrupted by Sehun, who leaned over to pinch Jongin’s nose.

“Ow!” Jongin whined, awoken.

“Hi Jimin.” Sehun greeted. Jimin smiled at him, “Hi.”

“You really had to bring him?” Junmyeon’s sharp voice cut in. He was talking to Jongin, but Jimin knew who “him” was referring to.

“What? Jimin?” Jongin was rubbing his eyes. “Damn, smeared my eyeshadow.”

“Jongin!” Junmyeon snarled.

“Hyung, really? I brought Jimin because I wanted him to get out with me and have a little fun.” Jongin spat, and Jimin realized the alcohol had given him an edge with his leader. “It’s a nice night. I’m sure Jihyo would’ve liked him too.”

“You brought him because you think Jihyo would have liked him?” Junmyeon muttered. “This party isn’t for strangers. It’s for Jihyo’s friends.”

“You think Jihyo was friends with fucking friends with noona?” Jongin grumbled, and Jongdae’s fiancé looked embarrassed. Also, Jongin was cussing around Jimin. “Jihyo and her met once.”

“Jihyo met Jimin zero times.” Junmyeon said. “Fuck. I can’t believe you’re doing this tonight.”

“Why fight?” Baekhyun interrupted quickly. “It’s a pretty night. Jongin brought Jimin, and we’ve just gotta live with that. Besides, Jimin means no harm! Come on, don’t be like this tonight, hyung.”

“I’ll be like this whenever the fuck I want.” Junmyeon mumbled. “Just don’t bring him around to more private shit.”

“I bring him around to whatever I want.” Jongin snapped. “Only reason I won’t is if he doesn’t want to.”

“What’s with your tone?” Junmyeon hissed, and turned in his seat.

“Hyung!” Chanyeol shot up alongside Minseok to put their hands on Junmyeon’s chest. “Quit it! It’s Jihyo’s seventeenth birthday and you’re gonna be pissed about Jongin’s boyfriend? Just let it go! He’ll be gone by next week!”

Jimin reddened. What did gone by next week mean?

“Gone by next week?” Jongin spat. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You don’t actually like this kid, do you, Jongin?” Chanyeol sighed. “He’s nineteen and cute. Of course he’s not gonna stick around.”

“Fuck you.” Jongin swore.

“Why don’t we all sit down?” Jongdae’s strong voice came. He was staring straight ahead, his fiancé hiding her face in shame. “The other gangs are watching.” 

When Jimin looked around, Jongdae’s words were proved to be true. Everybody was staring over their shoulder, watching the ordeal. 

Jongin and Junmyeon eased, and every boy that was up sat back down. 

“All of this on tonight of all nights.” Kyungsoo muttered as he looked at the sky. “You guys just never know when to shut the fuck up, do you? Fucking crazy.”

“Jimin is none of our concern.” Jongdae said quietly. “If Jongin wants to keep him around, that’s with Jongin. He’s obviously not going to bring Jimin to deals and private meetings. Pretend like he’s not here if that’s what you want, but don't get into stupid fights over it.”

Jimin felt his eyes stinging. If he cried here, he knew it’d be the end of the line for him. But Jongdae’s wife was crying. Shouldn’t he be able to cry too? He felt too embarrassed to look up, but he was too angry to be properly mortified. 

“How about,” Sehun started slowly. “We treat Jimin like he’s normal? We talk about him like he’s not here. He’s right there.”

The gang turned blank stares to Jimin. He was thankful for Sehun, but his gratitude thinned with the hard stares he received.

“We’ll talk about this later.” Junmyeon decided, and the gang fell silent. Jongin gently took Jimin’s hand in his and squeezed it comfortingly, but Jimin was not comforted. Really, it made him feel worse.

At the top of the slope, a spot light shone on a singular figure. Then, she was joined by seven other girls. 

As the figure stepped better into the light, Jimin saw her short hair first and was later almost taken aback by her unique look- He thought she might be Jeongyeon. 

He was right. She tapped her mic timidly, then spoke into it softly, as though she were testing it. She fidgeted with it a bit, and finally, she was talking. She was a pretty girl, and wore an even prettier smile. Jimin almost couldn’t believe they were the same age.

“Hi.” Came her sweet voice. The gangsters cheered in response, including Jongin’s upset gang. 

“We’re gathered here tonight to celebrate the birth of my really good friend. Of our really good friend.” Jeongyeon corrected herself quickly. “She… Well, Jihyo was like a sister to me and my girls. All nine of us are family. We’ll forever be a family, no matter where any of us are. We’ll always be nine.”

Beside her, one of her girls was crying into her hands. Jimin was feeling so many emotions, but he definitely felt sympathy for the poor girls on the top of that slope.

“God, this is really hard to say.” Jeongyeon was tearing up as she spoke. Her voice trembled once she continued. “This life… it’s risky. It really is. We all, um… I’m so sorry-, we’ve all come down this path not by choice, but by the lack of options this country was giving us. For a lot of us, it was life or death. We had to come down this path. That was how it was for Jihyo. She had to choose this life, or else she really would’ve been killed. Jihyo… Though it wasn’t her choice to enter this world, it was her willingness and her courage that brought us together. That brought all of us together- she made connections, and she shared it with all of us.”

There came a light cheer and a bound of whistles from the gangsters. 

“There was no rivalry with her. She was so weird. Always going on about this impossible idea of all our gangs getting along, getting big together.” Jeongyeon laughed. One of her girls was crouched on the ground, sobbing. “Jihyo… it was her choice to save Mina from that bullet too. She was so loyal to us, so dedicated, that she would do anything for us. Anything at all, even- even when it came to death, if we asked her, she’d do it. My leader… was the bravest. She was the best leader I’ve had the privilege to have followed, and the best leader I’ve ever had the luck of seeing lead. Jihyo did it all for us. She lived and died for us, and in the end, it was Jihyo telling us she had no regrets. She…”

Jeongyeon hid her face for a moment. When her hand slipped away, tears were running down her face. “She meant the world to me. She meant the world to all of my girls. Tonight is not a night to remember her death. Tonight, we shouldn’t feel sad, because tonight of all nights, Jihyo’s here with us. She’s turning seventeen right before our eyes, and if we look just right, we can see her dancing too. Let’s not be sad tonight, alright everybody? Let’s remember my leader’s life, and party the same way she lived it!” 

The gangs bursted out with cheers and sprung up from their seats, pounding on the stone tables and thumping their feet to make more noise. 

“But before I let you go, I wanted to tell you all that we’d like to do this every single year for Jihyo’s birthday.” Jeongyeon went on, and one of her girls wiped her tears as she spoke. “We want to make this a tradition. Even when we’re all dead and gone, hopefully the gangs to follow us can follow this tradition too. Next year, we want to change the location to the mountains, just to be closer to her- but other than that, we really want to do this every year. Is that fine by you guys?”

The gangsters cheered again.

“Then let’s have fun tonight, and keep Jihyo fresh in our minds!” Jeongyeon shouted into the mic, and the gangsters were hollering again. Despite all of Jimin’s feelings and clouded thoughts, he was moved by Jeongyeon’s sweet speech to her absent friend; and for a second, he could’ve sworn the stars were twinkling behind her. 

The party went on. Jongin put his hand on Jimin’s waist as he had done before, and Jongin’s gang split up to mingle. They talked to tons of people; Jimin was acquainted with all of Shownu’s Monstas by the next hour, and Irene’s gang had taken a liking to Jimin ( he still wasn’t sure who was who. )

“Noona.” Jimin said in a small manner, trying to get Seulgi’s attention.

Seulgi turned around and stared at Jimin with affectionate eyes. “That is the cutest way anyone’s ever called me.” 

Jimin got around to talking to Jeongyeon’s gang members. He was first introduced to Nayeon, who had a beautiful body ( that was seriously accentuated by her gorgeous dress ) and a pretty face. He thought she was Jungkook’s style. She called Jongin by oppa and spoke kindly to Jimin- she was sort of brash in her manner, but Jimin didn’t mind. She was nice.

He met Sana, who was a Japanese girl with a beautiful face, and almost fell for her. 

“Nice to meet you.” He stuttered.

“Should I call you oppa? You were born in October, right?” Sana said innocently. Jimin almost passed out at the suggestion. 

Jongin took him to dance for a little, and the two settled down beside the pool afterwards.

“You’re good!” Jongin panted. 

“You’re even better.” Jimin coughed, his buttons down to reveal his chest. “God, I haven’t danced in so long.”

“We should both dance again.” Jongin wheezed. “Damn, that was fun. Hey, I’ll go get us some drinks. Wait here.”

Jimin nodded and watched him disappear into the crowd of bodies. The feelings from earlier melted away- with his feet in the pool and his face drenched with sweat after dancing for the first time in months, he felt…. happy. Really, really happy. And even better, Jimin was doing it with Jongin. He decided that maybe it was okay that Jongin’s gang didn’t like him. Maybe it was okay if this party wasn’t his scene. 

“God,” He sighed to himself. “Why am I so simple minded?” Just by dancing, he’d cheered up and accepted all the bad things happening to him. 

Dancing had been awkward at first. He didn’t think he’d be able to even get on the dance floor, but Jongin had sufficiently distracted him by unbuttoning his blazer completely and revealing his tight abs. Jimin felt a bit weak the entire time he danced- the no eating led him to have no energy too. But he got into it, and the lanky DJ (a Monsta named Hyungwon) allowed no rest for the dancers. Every remix was dance worthy. 

Now, Jimin sat by the pool, feeling refreshed as he stared at the stars. For a brief moment, he wondered if that Jihyo was happy he was at her birthday party. She must be, right?

_Sorry to crash your party._ He apologized, feeling glum again. She and Jongin seemed close though- wouldn’t Jihyo want to meet the guy Jongin was flirting with? He could only hope he hadn’t upset her. 

“Get down!”

A shot sounded in Jimin’s ears. A couple of party goers immediately dove their heads to the ground, but most were ready with their guns cocked. Jimin wanted to obey the command, but panic settled in- he wanted to find Jongin before anything else. 

“Jongin!” Jimin called, trying to look around for him as the gun shots fired into the distance. He was shouldered past as people ran by, and his meek call for Jongin was drowned out by the panicked chatter. 

“Jimin!” It was Wonho, grabbing Jimin by the arm. “Come with me! I’ll get you out, but you have to run away!”

“No!” Jimin cried. “No, I have to find Jongin!”

Wonho looked anxious. “I can’t just leave you here! You’ll get shot!”

“I have to stay!” Jimin wailed, feeling helpless. Wonho’s grip was deadly, and the heavy gun in his hand was scaring him to death. He just wanted Jongin. 

“It’s alright!” Somebody else interrupted. Jimin looked to the new guy with fearful eyes, and wasn’t surprised to see it was a handsome stranger.

“Lay hyung!” Wonho was grinning at a time like this. “You’re late!”

“I know!” Lay laughed. “Leave him to me. Jongin sent me to get him.”

“Good! I’ve gotta go!” Wonho shouted as the yelling from the crowd got louder. “These motherfuckers that crashed the party have been leaking shit on Shownu hyung for months!”

“Go get them!” Lay insisted.

“Stay safe.” Wonho told Jimin before running off. 

Lay turned to Jimin. Free from Wonho’s hold, Jimin thought he should run away, but it seemed like Jongin was too busy for Jimin to find.

“Hey. Don’t be scared. I know you don’t know me, but I’m a part of Junmyeon hyung’s gang.” His voice was gentle. “Jongin told me to take you back to his suite, but we have to go now.”

Jimin felt himself tear up. Then, he cried, and through his tears, he nodded his agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha... all the third gen idols are Jeongyeon’s allies TT


	3. Chapter Three

Lay pulled the car onto a curb somewhere in the middle of the forest. Jimin had no idea what was going on when he did: he sat in the car awkwardly as Lay swung out and shut the door. Maybe the car wasn’t running well? He tried to wait patiently in his seat, but it was too dark to even see his surroundings, so he waited anxiously instead. 

There was a knock at the window, making Jimin jump in his seat, and Lay’s face appeared. Jimin tried hard to slow down his heartbeat and stop his hands from trembling, but Lay had scared him pretty bad.

Jimin opened the door, and immediately slouched over to try and block the cold. “Hyung… Where are we?”

“My house.” Lay said, and got distracted staring at a tree for a moment. He snapped back into reality. “It’s really cold.”

“Uh, yeah.” Jimin said gently, and shut the door. “But… We’re kind of in the middle of nowhere. Do you, um, not actually have like, a _house_?”

“What?” Lay stared at him in confusion.

“Where’s your house?” Jimin asked. He wondered if Lay’s Korean was bad.

“Oh. Oh, my house!” Lay brightened up. “Come on! I live behind all the trees.”

Lay led Jimin into the woods, and after a minute or two, Jimin saw light break through the trees. Then, the trees slowly scattered apart, and finally split to the sides as Lay’s house came into view.

“I asked my friend to build it.” Lay explained as they stepped onto the stone path to his front door. “I do a lot of business in China, so I’m traveling back and forth a lot. The cops have been onto me for years, so I don’t really show up to gang parties or go out too much.”

“But aren’t the cops onto everybody?” Jimin frowned. Did the cops make exceptions for Chinese gangsters?

“I shot one of their task forces down.” Lay told him. “They don’t really like me anymore. If they see me around, they start shooting at me.”

 _Shot one of their task forces down?_ Jimin decided it was better not to ask. Lay unlocked the door, and Jimin was surprised to see the huge house was completely void of decoration. Nothing adorned the walls of the main hallway, and the chandelier on the ceiling gave it a creepier edge. The walls were full of ledges for decorations, plants and picture frames, but there was nothing.

“Sorry. I don’t stay here a lot, so I never decorated.” Lay apologized. “Come to my room. You can shower and go to sleep.”

“I’m sleeping here?” Jimin asked as Lay shut the door and locked it (there were a lot of locks). 

“Yes. Jongin said going to his apartment would be dangerous.” Lay said, and wandered ahead of Jimin towards the stairs. “Maybe Jongin will be here later, but I think he will probably have a lot to do with Junmyeon hyung. He said to keep you safe until you come.”

Lay’s Korean was almost awkward. Some words sounded too formal, and others sounded slightly misplaced. But Jimin didn’t want to mention it, since Lay might be upset if he brought it up. 

“Are you really close with Jongin?” Jimin asked, starting to feel tired as they walked up the stairs. 

“Really close.” Lay confirmed. “Kai is my best friend. All my members feel like brothers, but Kai has always understood me the best.”

Jimin smiled at that. Jongin was sweet to everybody it seemed- Jimin felt happy knowing others knew about his kindness too. 

“We used to dance together.” Lay informed as they reached the second floor. “He and I were supposed to be dancers.”

“You dance too?” Jimin was surprised. How many dancers were gangsters? “I used to dance too! But- Wait, how long have you known Jongin?”

“Since he was fifteen.” Lay said, and Jimin heard the affection in his voice. “We went to the same dance academy.”

“Then you joined the same gang?” Jimin asked.

“Then we joined the same gang.” Lay laughed. “The details are very sad, so I won’t tell them to you. Go ahead and shower, I’ll get you extra clothes.”

Jimin gave him a bow and went into Lay’s room ahead of him.

Lay’s room wasn’t much. It had a bit of decoration, but it had the same emptiness as the rest of the house. There was a huge bed pushed against the wall, an open closet and cat toys scattered on the ground. In the corner, there was a big cat bed where a little black cat was curled up, and a bowl of food and water beside it.

“You have a cat?” Jimin said happily, moving to pet it.

“Yes.” Lay confirmed.

“What’s its name?” Jimin asked as he crouched down to pet it. The cat purred instantly at the contact, but did not open its eyes. 

“Um…” Lay trailed off. Did he forget his cat’s name? “Wow. I… didn’t give him a name. I- I just call him cat in Chinese. Mao. I’m so sorry. I should probably give it a name…”

Jimin laughed happily at Lay’s revelation. 

“I didn’t name my cat either.” Jimin said as he calmed down from his laughter. 

Jimin came out of the shower a while later, feeling upset. In the shower, he realized he forgot his phone at Jongin’s apartment.

“Jimin, here are your clothes.” Lay called, and pointed to the shorts and shirt on the bed. Jimin bowed and mumbled a thank you before hurrying over to grab them. “I set everything up in the guest bedroom. It’s the bedroom right across from this one, so you can come use my bathroom if you need to.”

“Thank you.” Jimin said softly and bowed again. 

“I’m going to sleep. Wake me up if you need me.” Lay said, and gave Jimin a pretty smile. “Good night.”

In the morning, Jimin woke up on his own. The blinds were shut, and so was the door, but there was a new addition to the room that Jimin had not noticed at night; Jongin was in bed too. Shirtless as usual, he was sleeping peacefully.

Jimin looked to him as affectionately as he could considering he’d just woken up. He yawned as he pulled the covers up to Jongin’s shoulder, and looked around the room. He wondered if he could brush his teeth. He laid back down for a moment, putting his head on Jongin as he decided what to do next. 

“Jimin?” Came Jongin’s raspy voice. Jimin made a noise in response, and Jongin shifted, forcing Jimin to move his head. Then, Jongin wrapped his arms around Jimin’s waist.

“Missed you.” Jongin muttered. Jimin made the crazy decision to hug him back, and put his chin on his head (Jongin was pressing his face into Jimin’s chest). 

“Didn’t think you’d hug me back.” Jongin chuckled. Jimin felt him smiling into his shirt.

“I was worried about you.” Jimin mumbled. “Wonho hyung tried to get me out of the party, but I kept telling him no because I wanted to leave with you.”

Jongin squeezed his waist. “Did you really say that?” 

Jimin nodded. “Mhm.” 

Jongin looked up at him, and Jimin pulled his head back to meet his eyes. Jongin grinned. “You really know how to get me happy. What’d you say to Lay hyung? Did you tell him no? Did you cry and scream?”

“No, you weirdo!” Jimin laughed. “I went with him because he told me you sent him.” 

“Good.” Jongin sighed, and rubbed Jimin’s back. He put his face back into Jimin’s chest. “You’re a good boy. What do you think if we go back to sleep?”

“I think my breath is really bad so I can’t fall back asleep.” Jimin muttered, but he was closing his eyes already. 

“It’s nice to fall asleep cuddling.” Jongin went on, and pulled Jimin impossibly close. “We could probably do it every night if you wanted.”

“That’s what you want.” Jimin scoffed, and flicked Jongin’s shoulder.

“I don’t!” Jongin protested. “I only wanna do things you like.”

“Do you have to say it cutely?” Jimin giggled.

“No. You just make me do crazy things.” Jongin sighed. 

Jimin and Jongin got up to head downstairs, but found Lay nowhere. Eventually, Jongin saw him through the backyard’s glass doors, sitting on the chair on his back porch. 

“What are you doing?” Jongin called as he opened the door.

Lay looked up, and smiled at the sight of Jongin. “Kim Jongin?”

“Zhang Yixing?” Jongin repeated Lay’s awestruck tone. Lay got up, and the pair hugged each other. 

“Why haven’t you come to see us?” Jongin pouted, looking down at Lay.

“Busy.” Lay shrugged. “Besides, you know I can’t hang around too much.”

“We miss you a lot.” Jongin said, still pouting. “You know the gang’s not complete without you. We need your business skills.”

“All the Chinese deals I make are for the gang!” Lay said, and poked Jongin’s shoulder.

“I guess so. But we can’t close any Korean deals without you!” Jongin went on.

“Don’t be annoying. Hey, should I go cook something?” Lay asked, looking from Jongin to Jimin.

“Should I help?” Jimin offered, but Lay shook his head. 

“Don’t worry! I make good food!” He said, and gave the pair a charming smile. “Go sit in the dining room!”

Lay ran off, but it seemed Jongin had no plans of sitting. “Jimin, I really need to pee.” He said. “Hey, can you get my phone for me? I don’t know if I left it in our room, but I left it on some desk. I was too excited to see you, so I kept walking into the wrong rooms.”

“Sure you did.” Jimin teased. “Hurry and go! I’ll get it.”

“Thanks.” Jongin smiled and ran off too. 

Jimin checked their room and Lay’s room first, but Jongin’s phone was nowhere to be found. There were two rooms left to inspect in the huge second floor- so Jimin picked the one on the right.

When he opened the door, his eyes had to widen to adjust to the total darkness of the room. The first thing he saw was a big desk, with a laptop and papers scattered around it. In fact, there seemed to be random things scattering the entire room- pencils and papers, rubber bands and pens all thrown across. It was as though somebody had urgently torn through the drawer in search of something.

Jimin carefully stepped over the papers, approaching the desk in the darkness. Jongin had mentioned something about a desk. But when he got closer, and upon further inspection, the phone was not on the desk.

But something else caught Jimin’s eye.

There were words on the papers, and it looked written by hand. Curious, Jimin picked it up, deciding to ignore the fact that these were probably Lay’s private belongings. 

The symbols were all in Chinese- nothing Jimin could make out. When he sorted through more, he realized all of them were in Chinese. Eventually, he found one paper with recognizable symbols, but it was almost completely smudged. 

_Jihyo….._ He clearly made out her name in the middle of the smudging. _Tomorrow…. Tomorrow…. Time?_

_But why do we have to keep this a secret? We even have to write letters._

It was all Jimin could make out. Out of nowhere, he felt the urge to search the rest of the papers, to try and find out what secret, and why Jihyo’s name was written, and who was writing to Lay in Korean in the midst of the Chinese letters- but he froze halfway through it. These were not his letters.

These were not a normal person’s letters. He stepped back. Then, he stepped out of the room, and quietly shut the door as he did. 

The phone was in the room to the left. Jimin dutifully returned Jongin’s phone, and sat with the gangsters to have breakfast. He tried not to talk to Lay, because despite having a good impression of him the letters had given him an odd feeling. It seemed like Lay was keeping some kind of secret. As he ate, he tried to convince himself to think that it was none of his business, and that there was no need to meddle. His only business relating to the gang was Jongin. Besides, Jongin probably already knew about whatever those letters were.

They were all just letters to cover up drug deals or something. That was probably it. 

“We should get going.” Jongin sighed after they finished their food. “There’s a lot going on with the gangs because of last night’s shoot out.”

“I went late just so I could say hi to Jeongyeon and Junmyeon hyung and go.” Lay said. “But I got there just before the shootings started. Jeongyeon’s gonna think I didn’t show up on purpose, isn’t she?” 

“Of course not.” Jongin leaned over to nudge his hand. “Don’t be dumb. She knows it’s not all fun and games for you.”

“I’m surprised you even got to sleep.” Lay joked.

“I know. It ended fast.” Jongin said. “If hyung hadn’t been so upset, I think he would’ve kept us all up with work. I got here at like three because I wanted to see Jimin so bad..”

“You guys are a good couple.” Lay complimented, and Jimin wasn’t too sure how to feel. He blushed anyways. 

“We’re not dating yet.” Jongin winked. He looked at Jimin. “Let’s get our stuff?”

Jimin nodded.

Jimin went to Lay’s room to retrieve his suit from the bathroom. He changed out of the pajamas into the suit quickly, and pet Mao goodbye before he got up to leave. Just as he was going to open the door, somebody else opened it first- Jimin stepped back, and saw Lay appear behind it.

“Hyung!” He said in surprise. “I was just gonna open the door.”

Lay was silent. 

“Uh, do you know where my shoes are?” Jimin asked. “I think I left them up here. But maybe they’re downstairs.”

“I like you.” Lay finally said. “And I’m glad Kai’s dating you. The last person he dated really broke his heart.”

“I-... I didn’t know that.” Jimin said quietly, not wanting to argue against the relationship thing. 

“It’s okay. You’ll figure that stuff out in time.” Lay assured. “Before you run off… Don’t be too curious.”

Jimin paled.

“Some of this stuff is stuff you’re not meant to see. And…” Lay trailed off. “I don’t like nosy people. Kai doesn’t like them either.”

Jimin felt every drop of blood in him dry. How had Lay figured out he was looking through his letters? While he was changing? What traces could Jimin have possibly left? 

Lay pat Jimin’s shoulder. “Don’t look so scared!” He laughed. “Go and have fun with Kai. Maybe he’ll take you on a date.”

Jimin was happy to be back with Jongin despite Lay’s confrontation. Yesterday had been scary, no matter how much Jimin tried to soften the events in his mind, and he had worried about Jongin the entire night. He was glad to be back with him. 

“Why’re you so quiet?” Jongin asked as they drove down the strip of road surrounded by trees.

“I’m always quiet.” Jimin told him, looking out the window.

“Was yesterday scary?” Jongin’s voice softened. “I’m sorry I ran off without you. I should’ve gone back to get you.”

“It’s okay. You have a responsibility with your gang, right? I’m sure Chanyeol hyung wouldn’t have gone to get Baekhyun hyung if he was the right hand.” Jimin told him, but when he glanced at Jongin, he saw the guilty look on his face.

“Chanyeol hyung… He would.” Jongin muttered. He looked like a kicked puppy. “I should have too. If I really like you, I would’ve gone to get you.”

“Don’t be like that.” Jimin murmured, and shifted to look at Jongin. “I… I know you like me.”

“You do?!” Jongin almost let go of the steering wheel to look at Jimin. “I mean-... You know that?”

“You asked me on a date.” Jimin pointed out.

“Oh.” Jongin smiled sheepishly. Then, he frowned again. “I even told you that you were my priority. I’m such an asshole!”

“No you’re not!” Jimin sat up. “I’m not blaming you, so why are you being hard on yourself? I- I get it! I know you had to go!”

“I will make this up to you.” Jongin said determinedly. “Should we go on our date today?”

“But don’t you have a lot of stuff to take care of?” Jimin frowned. “You can’t just ditch Junmyeon hyung!”

“He’ll call me if he really needs me.” Jongin assured. He looked happy again, so Jimin didn’t want to argue. “Let’s go home and get ready.”

The couple showered in a hurry ( at separate times ) and Jimin sorted through his backpack to see if he had any nice clothes to wear.

“Why don’t you hang up your clothes?” Jongin called, and Jimin looked over his shoulder to find him fresh out of the shower with nothing but a towel on.

“Do you like teasing me? Are you always naked on purpose?” Jimin sighed, narrowing his eyes. 

“What? If this were a couple days ago, you would’ve been blushing and stuttering!” Jongin accused.

Jimin stuck out his tongue. A blush did spread on his cheeks though- Jongin’s body never failed to impress. He looked away quickly before Jongin could see.

“Where would I hang them up?” Jimin mumbled.

“There’s a lot of room in my closet. I love clothes so I built it enormously.” Jongin said. “Should I hang them up for you? You can use one of my drawers for your underwear and stuff.”

“I’ll hang them up when we come back.” Jimin told him. Then, he smiled in delight upon finding his pretty, knit red sweater. He pulled out his jeans to pair it, and dig through his bag to see if his Jordans were in there too.

“Why don’t you just wear your sweater and a lakers tank top like you usually do?” Jongin asked, still watching him from the doorway. 

“Aren’t we going on a date?” Jimin said as he stood up. “Did you get any of my jewelry?”

“I put it in the front pocket.” Jongin nodded, and Jimin smiled. 

“You really packed everything for me.” He laughed lightly.

Jongin blushed and looked at the ceiling. “There’s… I just wanted you to feel comfortable.”

“Thank you.” He told him sincerely before bending back down to dig through his front pockets. He found his favorite pair of earrings and the chain he liked, then happily sauntered to the bathroom.

Jimin made sure his bangs were in check, then put on his chain and walked out of the bathroom still putting in his earrings. He found Jongin on the bed, putting his shoes on.

“You’re really not going to work?” Jimin said.

“Yeah.” Jongin said firmly. “We have to go on a date. If we don’t, I’m gonna die of guilt.”

Jongin was wearing a red jacket to match Jimin’s. It was those flashy kinds, but he looked really good despite it. He had a black shirt on and black jeans, but his shoes were red to accent his jacket.

“We look like a couple.” Jimin teased.

“We are one.” Jongin said smugly. He looked up, and Jimin thought he was being cheesy with the way his face softened.

“You look really good.” Jongin complimented gently, standing up.

Jimin smiled. “You look better.”

“You look even better!” Jongin grinned, and ran over to Jimin to hug him from behind.

“Jongin, how tall are you?” Jimin asked as he put the back of his earring in. 

“Six foot.” He crooned. 

“I seriously don’t like walking next to you. I seriously, seriously don’t like it.” Jimin sighed. “My head reaches your jaw.”

“It adds to your charm.” Jongin assured him happily, his chin on Jimin’s shoulder. “Jimin, let's take a picture!” 

Jongin pulled out his phone, and opened it to the camera.

“Jongin!” Jimin gasped. “You have the iPhone six?” 

“Isn’t it good to be rich?” Jongin laughed.

“Woa! I still have the four!” Jimin said in amazement. He hurriedly put his earring in and got ready to take the picture. 

“Should I buy you this one then?” Jongin said, and Jimin elbowed him. “Whatever! Smile!”

Jimin eagerly waited for Jongin to show him the photo afterwards, and almost fainted at the camera quality. “This is so good!”

“I know!” Jongin said. He went through a couple of options, then Jimin watched him set the picture as his lockscreen.

“What’d you do that for?!” Jimin cried, and Jongin was all smiles. 

“So I can think about you everyday.” Jongin said.

“You’re too flirty.” Jimin shoved himself out of Jongin’s hold. 

“I’ve been flirting with you since I met you.” Jongin informed him. 

Jimin crouched down to pull on his Jordans. “Liar. When did you flirt with me at the shop?”

“All the time! Why do you think I kept talking to you?” Jongin said.

“Maybe to keep me company!” Jimin scoffed, and finished putting on his shoes. “Stop talking and let’s go.”

“You’re so mean to me!” Jongin whined.

They took the subway. Jongin said he didn’t want it to feel like a high class date, but Jimin still felt embarrassed with the stares they got for doing an obvious couple look. They got off at Hongdae, which had been a surprise to Jimin.

“Woah! We’re going to Hongdae?” Jimin said, eyes bright. “Namjoon hyung talks about it all day! He said he brought his last boyfriend here too. Oh, he said there’s a bunch of crane games!”

“Should we do all of the arcade games?” Jongin said sweetly as they stepped onto the platform.

“We should!” Jimin agreed happily. “I’ve never been here. I heard they sell good clothes here too!”

“That’s in Myeongdong. Cheap clothes that look good.” Jongin told him. “I thought you’d want to see Hongdae first though. It’s better for a date.”

“Do they sell a lot of street food? Namjoon hyung told me they do.” Jimin gushed as he followed Jongin out of the subway. 

They visited every crane game in the district (Jongin spent relentless money trying to win Jimin a teddy bear plushie. When he gave it to Jimin, Jimin told him it looked like Jongin), entered five arcades (Jongin was determined to get enough tickets too buy Jimin an enormous teddy bear, to which Jimin was delighted. Jimin in return became determined to use his measly three hundred tickets to get him the chick plushie because Jongin said it looked like him), and as the day got colder and the boys got hungrier, Jongin took them to buy tteokbokki.

“Is this too cheap for a first date?” Jongin asked as they waited in line.

“It’s perfect for a first date with me.” Jimin assured. “I like rice cakes.”

Jongin smiled at him affectionately, then leaned down so their cheeks were brushing. “Jimin, should we hold hands?”

Jimin jumped back, but Jongin was still leaning over. “What?!” Jimin hissed. “There’s so many people!”

“Nobody cares!” Jongin assured. “It’s super busy today anyways! I saw a lesbian couple kissing when we went to that crane game.”

“You’re lying.” Jimin accused. “Why would lesbians kiss in public?”

“Because they’re in love.” Jongin said, and stuck out his tongue. “Come on! Say yes!”

When Jimin did not reply, Jongin took his hand and held it- but put their intertwined hands in the pocket of his jacket. “It’s cold today.” Jongin said, and Jimin giggled as he moved to stand closer to Jongin. Jongin leaned down to tease Jimin. “Is it cold today? Is it?” He asked, and Jimin kept giggling. 

They ate tteokbokki on a curb, mostly because there was no where else to sit, and Jimin was grateful for hot food to warm up his freezing nose. Also, Jimin’s teddy bears were seated on the side walk with them while Jongin’s baby chick plushie sat comfortably in his lap.

“We should be eating cold noodles.” Jongin commented through a mouthful of fish cakes.

“You wanna eat cold noodles?” Jimin laughed, and shook his head. “Why? You’re gonna die of hypothermia.”

“The saying goes like that! Cold stuff in cold weather, hot stuff in hot weather.” Jongin recited.

“I think you got the saying wrong. Isn’t it cold food?” Jimin corrected, but Jongin looked doubtful.

“Cold food? I don’t think it mentions cold food exactly.” Jongin frowned. Then, he smiled. “Hey. You’re really gonna eat all of that?” 

Jimin glanced down at his tteokbokki stick, and realized he’d eaten half of all of it. He stared at it in surprise, shocked at the fact that he still felt hungry. 

“You were eating at Lay hyung’s house too.” Jongin said smugly, looking away as he continued to eat. 

“The food…” Jimin trailed off. Willingly, he took another bite of his tteokbokki. “It tastes _really_ good.” 

The rest of their date was spent hand in hand, inside of Jongin’s jacket pocket. Jongin’s free arm held all their stuffed animals, and as they wandered around Hongdae and the evening progressed, Jimin felt confident enough to lean on Jongin as they walked. 

“Should we go home?” Jongin murmured into Jimin’s hair.

“No.” Jimin refused. “We should stay a little more. This is the first date I’ve ever been on, so it has to last a long time.”

“This is your first date?” Jongin gasped. “Really? I’m your first date?”

Jimin looked up to find Jongin was beaming. “Who was your first kiss? Did you have one?”

“I had a first kiss.” Jimin told him, giving him a suspicious look. Jongin faltered at that. “What? Why’re you sad now? It was in first grade!”

“This is awful.” Jongin complained. “I thought I was gonna be your first everything for a second.”

“Well did you have a first kiss?” Jimin said.

“Yes.” He sighed.

“Then why are you complaining?!” Jimin cried, and Jongin shook his head. “It’s because I like you so much!”

“Didn’t you have girlfriends before me too?” Jimin said accusingly, and Jongin kept shaking his head.

“None of them are like you.” Jongin swore. “I never ran to Lay hyung’s house to sleep with them like I did with you.”

“Other girls went to Lay hyung’s house for you to sleep with?” Jimin frowned. “That sounds wrong. And really weird.”

“No!” Jongin whined, and squeezed Jimin’s hand inside of his pocket. “I’m saying I don’t miss them as much as I miss you. One night away from you is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to me.”

Jimin fought back his smile. He really tried hard to keep himself from smiling, but he could not repress his happiness. He put his head back on Jongin’s shoulder wordlessly, and the two kept walking. 

Finally, Jimin declared they had to wrap up their date. Jongin was shivering and Jimin’s nose was freezing, and he was about to fall over from exhaustion. On the subway, they received a couple more weird stares, but Jimin decided that if Jongin didn’t mind, then he wouldn’t mind either. He put his head on Jongin’s shoulder and the couple slept the entire ride home. 

Jimin felt like a kid again, arriving home with his head lolling about because he was fatigued from the day’s events. He slept on Jongin’s shoulder the entire elevator ride, but refused Jongin’s offer to be carried out of pride. He stumbled around before Jongin put his hand on Jimin’s waist and lead him to the bedroom.

Jimin fell back onto the bed, barely conscious. He felt the bed dip as Jongin sat on the side, pulling off his shoes.

“You looked really handsome today.” Jongin complimented. “Maybe this is gonna sound weird, but I really wanted to give you a kiss.”

“Mmm.” Jimin hummed his response.

“This is why you have to eat a lot,” Jongin went on, compliments turning into nagging. “You always get tired like this at night. I notice when your knees buckle too, when you’re walking around in the afternoon. How is it possible that you’re so weak you can’t even walk? It’s all because you don’t eat.”

“Mmm.” Jimin hummed again, except he sounded upset.

“I’m gonna take off your earrings.” He said gently, and Jimin felt Jongin looming over him. Jimin winced as Jongin pulled the backs off. 

“Jongin.” He called.  
“What?” Jongin replied.

“I had a lot of fun.” Jimin said, unable to open his eyes. “It was really fun. I always have fun with you.”

“Yeah?” Jongin said, and Jimin could almost hear his smile. “I have fun with you too. I know you’re shy and everything, but I feel like you light people up with your personality. You’re really beautiful, you know that? On the inside and out.”

Jimin smiled, but found no energy to respond. He let Jongin take off his earrings, and rolled over so Jongin could slip into the bed. 

“What’re you rolling over for? Just sleep. I’m gonna change and put on my face mask, then I’ll come to bed.” Jongin told him. “Take off your jeans first.”

Jimin blindly unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down to his knees. He kicked them off after that, and pulled up the blanket. 

Jimin didn’t sleep for a while after that. His eyes were closed, and he had no energy to open them, but he waited for Jongin to come to bed. It took longer than expected; Jongin was in the bathroom for a while, then Jimin heard him talking to Mochi, and then Jongin started talking on the phone. Jimin thought it might’ve been with Junmyeon, but he forgot every word Jongin said just after he said them. 

Only after his phone call did he go to bed. Jimin felt relieved once he felt the bed dip as it usually did, and was even happier when Jongin put his arms around him.

“Did you wait for long?” Jongin hummed, and settled his forehead into Jimin’s nape. “I’m sorry.”

“I was waiting.” Jimin rasped. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m so sorry.” Jongin apologized. “I’m gonna go to bed with you every night. Never after you, so don’t worry.”

“It’s okay.” Jimin assured, feeling comforted by Jongin’s hold. “I’ll wait.”

“Don’t make me feel so bad.” Jongin protested. “Go to sleep, Jimin. Tomorrow you can break my heart.”


	4. Chapter Four

Jimin the next day woke up with an awful thought. 

Jongin was still a gangster. No matter how sweet he was to Jimin, he was loyal to his boss and loyal to his gang. And when the issue with Jongin’s rivaling gang ended, Jimin would go home, and Jongin would stay here. They’d part ways. 

Jimin sat up, and felt Jongin’s arm slide off of him. He looked down at him, and wanted to smile at his handsome, sleeping face, but couldn’t muster it. The thought had hurt him. He didn’t want to be without Jongin.

Upset now, he slipped back under the blankets and cuddled close to Jongin. 

_Why do I have to think about this now?_ Jimin thought, desperate for the ugly feeling in his chest to go away. _I was so happy..._

As if Jongin was feeling Jimin’s sadness, the boy stirred. He opened his eyes, and came face to face with Jimin. Jongin gave him a little smile.

“Hey handsome.” He greeted, and lifted his hand to pet Jimin’s head. Jimin felt the awful feelings cease for a moment, but Jongin’s affections were not enough to make the feelings go away. “Did you sleep okay?”

Jimin put his face into Jongin’s shoulder, and put his arms around him. He didn’t want to part ways with Jongin. He didn’t want to go home and leave him behind.

“Jongin.” Jimin mumbled. “Should I stay here forever?”

“What?” Jongin chuckled. “Hey, what happened? Did you have a bad dream?”

Jimin shook his head. He pulled away from Jongin’s shoulder to look at him.

“Jongin. We’re dating right now, right?” Jimin asked, to which Jongin slowly nodded. “But what about when I have to go home?”

Jongin’s face fell. It quickly hardened, and he said; “We’ll keep dating.”

“How? I live so far away.” Jimin mumbled.

“I’ll live with you. I’ll buy you a house, and we can live there together. I’ll just leave in the mornings so I can go to work.” Jongin said. “Don’t worry about that, okay? I’ll never stop seeing you.”

Jimin fell silent. For some reason, Jongin’s words didn’t comfort him like he thought they would. He put his face back into Jongin’s shoulder, and Jongin hugged him tightly in response.

“You have the dumbest questions in the morning.” Jongin mumbled. “Of course I’m gonna keep dating you.”

But Jimin knew better. His friends had done the same. They’d swing by every weekend without fail, or spend the night with him from Monday to Wednesday, and keep him company just like they promised. But things changed. They only swung by when they could, and suddenly, nobody was spending the night at Jimin’s anymore. 

Things always change. Jimin didn’t blame it on them. And he didn’t blame it on them when nobody showed up anymore because there was simply no time to see Jimin, and didn’t blame them when even phone calls and text messages grew scarce. His friends were living their own lives, and Jimin just had to accept it. He had to accept they were growing apart.

But he didn’t want to accept that with Jongin. He didn’t want to ever grow apart with him. 

He shut his eyes tight, and prayed for the bad thoughts to go away. 

Jongin’s gang came over to talk about their schedules, so Jimin quickly volunteered to help Kyungsoo cook.

Kyungsoo was sort of an airhead. It looked like there was nothing he paid attention to, and he didn’t have any interest in Jimin, so Jimin was happy to use him as an escape from the rest of the gang. 

“Does Kai have any kimchi?” Kyungsoo asked. “Ah, never mind. I should just make some fried chicken.”

“Wow, you can make fried chicken?” Jimin marveled, and Kyungsoo nodded.

“It’s not that hard. Can you get me the flour?” Kyungsoo requested, to which Jimin complied.

“I’ll get started on the salad.” Jimin told him and went to the fridge to pick out his ingredients.

“Kai said you guys went on a date yesterday.” Kyungsoo brought up casually.

Jimin blushed. “Yeah. It was really fun.”

“Be nice to him.” Kyungsoo asked. “His last girlfriend really broke his heart.”

“What did his last girlfriend do?” Jimin asked curiously, shutting the refrigerator after retrieving his ingredients.

“She cheated on him for three months.” Kyungsoo revealed, to which Jimin gasped. “Kai seriously loved her. All he talked about was her. Got her a bunch of presents and stuff too.”

“What a bitch!” Jimin cursed, and Kyungsoo gave him a smile that almost looked goofy. 

“Didn’t know you cursed.” Kyungsoo chuckled. “You seem like a sweet kid. Jongin told us about your past and all that. Sorry for your loss.”

“It’s okay.” Jimin forgave him, picking apart the lettuce and putting it into a bowl. “I’m getting over it. My friend taught me that I have to bury my grandma in my heart and try my best to move on. Being hung up on her… Well, if you stay stuck on someone who’s passed away, it probably controls your life, right? That’s what’s been happening to me, but these days I’ve really been getting back on my feet I think.”

Kyungsoo was quiet. “You’re really mature for a nineteen year old.”

“Bad stuff and maturity are like a package deal.” Jimin said, and reached for the chopping board across the counter. “Live and learn I guess.”

“You.. Don’t be too afraid of Junmyeon hyung.” Kyungsoo brought up randomly. “I know you’re only helping me to get away from him. He’s really a good person. He’s just got an issue with outsiders.”

“What happened to him?” Jimin asked, secretly surprised that Kyungsoo had seen right through him. He’d seriously misjudged him- the airhead trait was not one that belonged to Kyungsoo.

“Last girlfriend was an informant.” Kyungsoo said. “He beat her up so bad her face was totally dismantled. She’s still in the hospital.” 

“Oh shit.” Jimin mumbled, pausing from cutting avocados. “He didn’t kill her?”

“He loved her too. They were dating for an entire year.” Kyungsoo sighed. “She ratted out almost everything about us. She ratted out our base, where Junmyeon hyung and Kai live, spilled Lay hyung’s whereabouts… She’s the entire reason Lay hyung can’t be with us. She put an entire task force on him because she saw him handling drugs in his apartment. He lived right next door to Kai too, and he had to shoot them all up.” 

“You guys date awful people!” Jimin cried, feeling bad for Lay and Junmyeon.

“We had to change everything. Lay used to be our right hand, but ever since he was pushed aside, Kai stepped up.” Kyungsoo said.

“I thought Jongin was always the right hand.” Jimin said.

“He probably said that to make things simple.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Before him and Lay hyung, Kris hyung used to be our right hand. You know Kris?”

“I do.” Jimin nodded. 

“Complicated stuff.” Kyungsoo remarked. “Also, about what Chanyeol hyung said, he didn’t mean it. He was being an asshole, but it’s just because he doesn’t know you. Don’t take anything they said to heart.”

“I won’t.” Jimin promised. For the first time, he felt comfortable with somebody other than Jongin; Kyungsoo’s casual remarks had eased some of the complicated feelings inside of Jimin.

Kyungsoo and Jimin served the fried chicken and salad, and the pair set out plates, cups and silverware for the group. Jongin affectionately called for Jimin, and insisted he sit in his lap.

“Can’t I just get a chair?” Jimin pleaded quietly.

“Baekhyun is sitting in Chanyeol’s lap!” Jongin whined. Jimin looked up to see Chanyeol and Baekhyun on the verge of having clothed sex. “Plus, there’s no more chairs to sit in.”

Jimin glowered at him, but gave in to his requests. Jongin happily wrapped his arms around Jimin’s waist, and squeezed him tight. 

“Is this what all gangsters do with their dates?” Sehun complained. “All of you guys had your exes on your laps too.”

“Don’t talk about that.” Jongdae chided gently.

“Your wife is always in your lap too!” Sehun whined. 

“You know why nobody’s on your lap?” Minseok sighed. “It’s cos you’re a bottom.” 

Sehun choked on his food. “I’m not!”

Jimin put fried chicken and salad onto Jongin’s plate, and he let Jongin feed him a couple of times before feeling full.

“You have to eat more.” Jongin pouted, pushing the lettuce against his lips. Jimin turned his head away. “I can’t eat anymore!”

“Is he on a diet?” Minseok gasped. 

“You’re so skinny! Don’t go on a diet!” Sehun immediately jumped to Jimin’s defense. “You look really good right now. You don’t have to diet!”

“I don’t like to eat.” Jimin confessed gently. “I feel sick when I eat.”

“Leave him alone!” Jongin declared, waving his fork around. “He only eats with hyung. Right, Jimin?”

Jimin ducked his head to hide his reddening face. 

“Aww, he only eats with hyung!” Minseok crooned.

“Hyung’s the only one that can feed him!” Chanyeol jeered.  
Kyungsoo and Jongdae laughed along with their antics. 

“Don’t be annoying!” Sehun defended again, to which Jimin was grateful. 

“Quiet, Sehun. Jimin’s eating with hyung.” Baekhyun hushed playfully.

“Should we talk about the schedules then?” Junmyeon interrupted abruptly. “They have to be sorted out by the next hour. This week is seriously busy.”

“No news from Kris hyung?” Jongdae asked.

“You know how he is.” Junmyeon’s voice softened as he spoke about his hyung. Jimin wondered if they were close, listening to Junmyeon as he accepted a bite of food from Jongin. “Our schedules were always hectic, and he never had time to do his own thing. He’s happy in China. He’s probably not thinking about us right now.”

“I know you’re happy for him, and we all love Kris hyung, but every time we ask for his support he shuts us down.” Jongin spoke up. “I love him too, but why isn’t he interested in doing any business? What’s he doing in China that’s so important?” 

Junmyeon opened his mouth to reply, and then his eyes darted to Jimin. They grew deadly as his stare lingered, and Jimin felt his embarrassment double.

“Go.” Junmyeon ordered, but Jimin couldn’t go in the first place with Jongin’s arms around him.

“Hyung, don’t be like that.” Jongin said, putting down his chopsticks to pet Jimin’s hair. “He’s good. He won’t do anything bad to us.”

“I’m not fucking talking to you, Jongin.” Junmyeon snapped. He looked back at Jimin. “Go!”

Jimin looked to Jongin for further confirmation, and Jongin gave him an apologetic look. “You wanna eat anything else?” He asked gently, and Jimin shook his head. Jongin rubbed his back affectionately, and leaned up to kiss Jimin’s cheek. 

“My bad.” Jongin whispered with a grin. “You just look too cute. Now go before Junmyeon hyung kills you.”

Jimin returned to the room feeling giddy from Jongin’s affections. His cheeks were burning and hurting from the amount he was smiling, and he couldn’t stop his heart from beating. 

He quickly pat his cheeks to bring himself back to earth. He couldn’t get attached. If he did, what would happen when he and Jongin had to inevitably split? 

_If I don’t wanna get attached, what am I doing flirting with him and going on dates?_ Jimin thought nervously. He shook his head and started looking around rapidly for something to do- if he thought about the topic too deeply, he might jump onto the fire escape and run away.

He fixed his attention to his back pack. Jongin had told him to hang up his clothes whenever he liked, so now wouldn’t be a bad time to do it, right? He hurried to his backpack and picked it up, moving to open the door to Jongin’s enormous closet. 

He hung up his jackets and long sleeves, and thought about if Mochi was old enough to have kittens. He pondered about how cute her kittens would be, thinking about cat vaccines and a good husband for Mochi, which all effectively kept his mind off of the thought of having to break up with Jongin. 

Just as he was sorting through Jongin’s jackets, having run out of space on the separate rack, wanting to hang a couple of his jeans. As he moved the jackets to the side, Jimin noticed something fluttering to the ground. Out of curiosity, he bent down to pick it up.

When he opened the letter, he found the writing to be foreign to him. Everything looked like it was in Chinese. 

“Jimin?”

Jimin looked up at the beckon. He saw Jongin, blinking at him from the doorway of the closet. He smiled.

“Are you hanging up your clothes?” He asked, and approached Jimin to hug him from behind.

“Yeah.” Jimin nodded. He showed Jongin the letter. “I think this fell out of one of your jackets. Is it important?”

Jongin inspected the letter from the comfort of Jimin’s shoulder. “No, it’s not important. It’s just a letter from Kris.” He explained. “I got it a year ago. Just him talking about what he’s up to.”

“You can read Chinese?” Jimin asked, eyebrows raised.

“I can.” Jongin confirmed, and kissed Jimin’s cheek. “Should I say something in Chinese?”

“You keep kissing my cheek!” Jimin pouted. 

“I’m sorry!” Jongin laughed. “Do you not like it?”

“I do.” Jimin’s voice grew quiet. Jongin laughed again, and gave Jimin another kiss on the cheek. 

“I saw a lot of letters in Chinese at Lay’s house.” Jimin commented. “They were all in Chinese too. Does he talk a lot with Kris?”

“Mhm.” Jongin nodded. “Kris sends his letters to hyung for safety purposes, so Lay delivers them to us when he can.”

That was weird. Was Lay hogging all of Kris’s letters and not giving them to Jongin’s gang? But why would he do that? If Jimin was remembering it correctly, there were a lot of letters.

“What’re you thinking about?” Jongin crooned, and slid his hands over Jimin’s. “It’s gotta be me, right?”

“Do I always have to think about you?” Jimin teased, and Jongin nodded. 

“Always!” He agreed. “Should we make a baby, Park Jimin? So that you can always think about me? I hope the baby looks just like you…”

“What are you talking about?” Jimin laughed. “I can’t have babies!”

“Maybe if we try hard enough.” Jongin went on, and squeezed Jimin in his arms. Jimin laughed, and elbowed him gently.

“You’re stupid. Did you pass science?” Jimin asked, and Jongin sighed deeply.

“Science doesn’t apply to you. It’s scientifically impossible for a human to produce dopamine when looking at other humans, right? But so much dopamine produces when I look at you.” Jongin said.

“That was cheesy!” Jimin cringed, and Jongin buried his face into Jimin’s shoulder. “I don’t think that’s scientifically impossible though. You know, I think it’s pretty possible if that’s what’s happening to you.” 

“Whatever.” Jongin clicked his tongue. Before either could carry on with their playful banter, Jongin’s phone buzzing interrupted their conversation. Jongin reached into his pocket to check the caller, and looked apologetically to Jimin.

“Sorry. I’ve really gotta take the call.” Jongin apologized, and Jimin shook his head.

“Don’t be sorry. Go take it.” Jimin assured, and pat Jongin’s chest affectionately. Jongin gave him a smile, then left the closet.

By the time Jimin finished hanging up his clothes, Jongin was still taking his call. Jimin could hear him talking from the bathroom, and could also hear the chatter of Jongin’s gang beyond the door, so he decided to wait on the bed and play on his phone. He wasn’t lonely for long though- the door cracked open, and Sehun’s handsome face peeked through. 

“Jimin!” He whisper-shouted, his cheeks red. “Do you wanna go on a walk with me?”

Jimin sat up. On a walk with Sehun? He contemplated the option, and decided he must tell Jongin first.

“Okay. Let me ask Jongin.” Jimin whispered back, and swung off the bed to pad into the bathroom. 

Jongin was leaned against the sink. Once the door opened, he looked up, and Jimin was relieved to see him smile. Jongin opened an arm for Jimin to fit himself in, to which Jimin did. He stood on his tiptoes to reach Jongin’s ear as Jongin held his waist affectionately.

“I’m gonna go on a walk with Sehun hyung.” Jimin whispered, and Jongin nodded. He stuck out his cheek, and Jimin presumed he was supposed to kiss it, but he was too embarrassed to do it. Instead, he hugged Jongin, and ran out of the bathroom.

Sehun was waiting for him with an anxious face. He seemed to brighten up upon noticing Jimin, as he stood up quickly from sitting on Jongin’s bed.

“Let’s go?” He asked, and Jimin nodded.

“Where are we going?” Jimin asked.

They had said goodbye to Junmyeon and the gang (Junmyeon gave Jimin an extremely suspicious look, and the other boys warned Jimin not to make Jongin jealous) had reluctantly let them go.

They left the apartment complex and Sehun led Jimin to wander through the streets of Seoul to their destination.

“Nowhere really.” Sehun shrugged. “Just going on a walk. I’m guessing you haven’t been to Seoul before, right?” 

Jimin nodded. “This is my first time here. I went to Hongdae with Jongin yesterday though, and it was really fun! What part of Seoul are we in right now?” 

“Hannam-dong.” Sehun replied, but he looked a bit sulky. Did he not like Hannam-dong? “What… Uh, did you go to Hongdae for.”

“Just to go out together.” Jimin answered, hoping that Sehun would catch on to what the “together” meant. He was still too shy to confess it was a date. 

Sehun fell silent. Wanting to brighten the awkward mood, Jimin switched topics.  
“How was planning your schedules?” He asked. Maybe he shouldn’t have come on this walk with Sehun.

“It was okay.” Sehun sighed. “Hyung was really upset today. Kai kept talking about Kris not responding to us and how all his partners aren’t replying either, so hyung ended the meeting early. We still don’t know this weeks schedules.”

“Why did he keep bringing it up?” Jimin frowned. “Does he know it makes Junmyeon upset?”

“He knows. Junmyeon and Kris hyung were really close, so whenever we talk about him Junmyeon hyung either gets really sad or really wistful.” Sehun explained. “But Kai’s just doing his job as the right hand. Kris hyung really isn’t responding to any deals or anything.”

“Oh.” Jimin gave him a weak reply. “Were you all really close with Kris?”

“All of us are really close, even with our old members.” Sehun agreed. “We’re kind of like family.”

“I’ve got friends who are like family too.” Jimin related, looking up at the sky scraping buildings. “It’s hard when family splits up, huh?”

“Really hard.” Sehun agreed. “I miss Lay hyung. I miss all my hyungs. I know Luhan, Tao and Kris left because it was best for them, but I just can’t help wishing they would’ve stayed.”

Jimin looked at him sadly. In a way, Jimin thought their situations were similar. “I feel like that too sometimes. But not with you friends, just with my friends.” 

Sehun smiled. “I know. Aren’t your friends worried that you left Busan so suddenly?”

“I guess?” Jimin frowned. “I don’t know. I feel like… They don’t call me, or text, and they don’t drop by my shop like they used to. I just-... I just feel upset. It feels like they’re forgetting about me. Or pushing me aside.”

“Have you tried talking to them about it?” Sehun suggested.

Jimin blinked. He had never really thought of that. “No.” He admitted. “But if I talk about it, doesn’t it make me look like I’m stupid? Or like a kid?”

“No.” Sehun shrugged. “You’re still kind of a kid. Nineteen is pretty young, right? Just be honest with your friends. If they’re good friends, they’ll take your feelings seriously.”

Jimin was quiet. Then, he nudged Sehun fondly. “Thanks, hyung.”

“No problem.” Sehun said, his voice quieting drastically. Jimin almost couldn’t hear him. “Uh… Should we stop by a café?”

Jimin and Sehun returned home after drinking coffee and laughing at a lady who called her husband a cow. Sehun took him to Jongin’s door, and said his goodbyes.

“Thanks for going with me.” Sehun said shyly. 

“Tell me when you want to go again! It was really fun.” Jimin enthused, and Sehun met his eyes with a hopeful gaze.

“You really wanna go again?” Sehun asked, and Jimin nodded. Sehun smiled wide, and Jimin thought he was cute.

“Call me if you ever feel lonely. Or if you want to get out for a little.” Sehun went on, gaining confidence as he spoke. “I… Um, I…. Never mind. You looked really nice today.”

Jimin blinked at him. Then, he grinned up at Sehun. “Thanks. You looked handsome today too. But I guess you always do. You’re a really good looking guy!”

Sehun grew beet red. He stumbled with his words, then ducked his head and ran off. Sometimes, Jimin thought as he watched him go, Sehun felt like the nineteen year old standing five-nine, and Jimin felt like the twenty one year old standing six-one.

The afternoon inched into the evening. When Jimin returned home from his walk, Jongin had disappeared, but texted Jimin an hour or two later.

_Be home in thirty minutes!!!!_ The text promised, and it was filled with line friends stickers. Jimin stared at it fondly, before deciding there was something important he had to do. 

He went into Jongin’s bedroom, shut the door and sat on the bed. He stared at his phone anxiously, hands starting to sweat as he stared at Namjoon’s contact number. 

“It’s okay. You can do this.” Jimin sighed, giving himself a pep talk. 

He pressed the number, and almost hung up when he saw the phone ringing. Instead, he shakily put the phone to his ear. 

“ _Hello?_ ” 

Jimin felt like tossing his phone. “Namjoon?”

“ _Jimin! Are you okay? What’s happening?_ ” Namjoon blurted in a hurry, and Jimin’s heart almost broke hearing him worry.

“I’m okay. Everything’s okay.” Jimin assured, and paused. He was having trouble finding the right words. “I just… I just missed you.”

“ _You missed me?_ ” Namjoon’s voice was gentle. “ _I miss you too. College is fun and everything, but it’s not the same without you, Taehyung and Jungkook. I miss you guys._ ”

“I miss you guys too.” Jimin said, starting to feel excited. Maybe Namjoon wasn’t ignoring him. Should he ask? “I haven’t seen Taehyung and Jungkook since last month.”

“ _You know how Jungkook is. Always wrapped up trying to make his twitch streams big._ ” Namjoon sighed. “ _I go to all of his twitch streams! Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok and I sit around and watch it all night. He always lights up when he sees my username._ ”

“How are Jin and Yoongi?” Jimin asked, leaning his ear into the phone. “It’s been forever since I’ve talked to them.”

“ _Jin switched his major to Drama. And he has a girlfriend._ ” Namjoon told him, and Jimin gasped.

“No way! His mom wanted him to do Business since he was a kid!” Jimin gaped.

“ _I know! But would Jin really care about anybody’s opinions?_ ” Namjoon laughed. 

“Not even his own mom’s.” Jimin muttered. 

“ _Yoongi misses you. He talks about you all day._ ” Namjoon told him, and Jimin smiled. 

“Why doesn’t he call me?” Jimin asked, and couldn’t help the crack in his voice.

“ _You know,_ ” Namjoon began gently. “ _We don’t call you because you don’t call us. If you called Yoongi all the time, I’m sure he would call you all day._ ”

“You think so?” Jimin asked.

“ _I know so. We really miss you, but the less you keep contact with us, the more it feels like you don’t want to talk to us. That’s how… We’ve all been feeling, I think._ ” Namjoon explained, and Jimin felt awful for a moment. Had he gotten everything all wrong? He waited day and night for his friends to call, but his friends were waiting day and night for Jimin to call instead.

“I’m sorry.” Jimin felt like crying. “I’m really sorry. I just kept waiting for you guys to call.” 

“ _Taehyung’s in the countryside right now but he still calls me three times a day._ ” Namjoon laughed, and Jimin smiled. “ _All seven of us have a special friendship, Jimin. Even if we’re far apart, we just have to find a way to make it work. All of us can still be friends like we used to, if that’s what you want._ ”

“I do want that.” Jimin sighed. “I really, really want that.” 

The phone call ended with a promise to meet by Namjoon’s dorm tomorrow afternoon, and Jimin couldn’t help but shed a few tears. He wiped his eyes when the phone call ended, and Mochi winded her tail around Jimin’s leg. Jongin came home a while after Jimin’s phone call, and encountered Jimin cooking dinner in the kitchen.

“Why didn’t you tell me to bring food home?” Was the first thing Jongin said. 

“I’m making food!” Jimin cried. “Why do we need to eat street food?”

“So you don’t have to cook!” Jongin argued. He set his things down on the counter, and ran to hug Jimin from behind.

“Do you like hugging me like this?” Jimin sighed, and Jongin nodded. 

“Isn't it romantic?” He gushed. “This is my favorite way to hug you. Your hair always smells good, I can kiss your cheek and your shoulder and your neck, and your waist is really little.”

“You’re the cheesiest boyfriend I have ever had.” Jimin muttered.

“I’m the only boyfriend you’ve ever had!” Jongin said happily, to which Jimin smiled. 

“Here. You wanna try it?” Jimin offered, putting the sausage up to Jongin’s mouth.

“You’re making sausage and what?” Jongin asked.

“Rice.” Jimin informed him, and Jongin hummed in appreciation. He opened his mouth, and Jimin fed him a bite of the sausage. 

“Mm, it’s good!” Jongin said. “I should eat a lot.”

“It’s all for you to eat.” Jimin said. 

“And for you. You have to eat it.” Jongin added quickly. “What kind of chef doesn’t eat his own food?”

“A good kind of chef.” Jimin said, and Jongin laughed. 

“You have to eat.” Jongin sighed, patting Jimin’s stomach. “If you don’t eat, how are you gonna keep our baby alive?”

“I don’t have a baby!” Jimin whined, and stomped his foot. 

“Stop denying it!” Jongin demanded. “You’re having my baby!”

“I can’t have your baby!” Jimin complained, and put his head back onto Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin broke into a giggle, and kissed Jimin’s cheek. 

“Jimin,” He started gently. “Should we go on a date?”

“A date? I’m cooking right now.” Jimin mumbled.

“I wanna take you out. We can eat sausage and rice for breakfast.” Jongin pushed.

“What? You don’t like my cooking?” Jimin snorted, and Jongin shook his head. 

“Your cooking is the best on earth!” Jongin swore. “It’s my favorite food! All the food you make is delicious!”

“So why do we have to go out? I’m cooking!” Jimin protested.

“Just so we can dress up in a couple outfit and go somewhere fancy.” Jongin mumbled. “You don’t want that?”

“I’ve never been anywhere fancy.” Jimin told him. “Just casual places.”

Jongin was quiet for a moment. Then, he hugged Jimin tightly. “Then let’s take your food, and go on a picnic!”

“It’s night time already!” Jimin argued.

“So? It’ll be super romantic! Let’s go to the Han River!” Jongin went on, and Jimin considered his offer. 

“Fine.” He finally agreed- the Han River was a tempting offer. He heard a lot about it from Namjoon and Yoongi, who’d wander around it for inspiration.

“I’ll help you pack the food!” Jongin said, and gave Jimin one final happy squeeze around the waist.


	5. Chapter Five

The night was beautiful. The sky was clear, stars twinkling as the moon shone down on the grass beside the river. The green grass, tinted black in the night, seemed to sparkle like the stars did. It was a cold night, and thanks to that, Jimin and Jongin were completely alone by the river bank.

The pair had spread out a blanket, set up Jimin’s rice and sausage, a side dish of eggs and an assortment of fruits. Jongin had brought beer, but he seemed uninterested in drinking it. Jimin was extremely interested- he hadn’t drank beer since he went out with his friends on his birthday. Jongin opted for juice instead.

“You like alcohol?” Jongin made a face. 

Jimin cracked the can open. “I love alcohol. I like to mix soju and beer together.”

“I think you’re a little disgusting.” Jongin reached over to pat Jimin’s shoulder.

“Why are we sitting across from each other? Should we sit closer?” Jimin brought up after taking a sip of his beer. Jongin grinned. 

“You wanna sit close to me?” He asked, and Jimin wondered if his cheeks ever ached from smiling so much.

Jimin rolled his eyes, and moved to sit next to Jongin wordlessly. He set down his can and picked up his chopsticks, starting on his meal. 

“It’s good!” Jongin enthused. “What do you put in the rice?”

“Butter.” Jimin informed.

“Wow. I forget you run a restaurant.” Jongin sighed. “You know how to make all the food good. Jimin… You’d make a really good wife.”

“Not this again!” Jimin laughed. “First you ask me to have your baby, then you’re asking me to be your wife?”

“I’m not asking!” Jongin argued. “I’m just making a comment based on your cooking skill!”

“You know what? My aunt has no clue how to cook. Her husband does it all.” Jimin said, and Jongin thought for a moment. 

“Well, you’d make a good traditional wife. But there’s no real definition on how a wife should be. Or, I think that women shouldn’t be confined to just these set of traits, and that’s what makes a good wife. If you love your partner and treat them well, then what’s the issue? If you both work hard and support each other, then that’s what makes a good spouse, not anything else.” Jongin mused, and Jimin looked at him in shock.

“I didn’t know you were so deep!” Jimin cried.

Jongin smiled sheepishly. “I don’t like the way women are treated in society.”

“Then why make a joke about me being your wife?” Jimin scoffed, smiling as he ate more of his sausage.

“Jimin,” Jongin set his chop sticks down to look at him. “I thought you said you weren’t gonna eat.”

Jimin froze, realizing he’d been eating. Caught in the act, he wearily put down his chopsticks.

“What?! Keep eating!” Jongin insisted, stopping him from setting the chopsticks down. “Eat more! Eat the whole thing!”

“I can’t now that you pointed it out!” Jimin whined. 

After they ate, Jongin held Jimin’s hand as they walked along the river bank.

“Isn’t it pretty at night?” Jongin mentioned. “The river kinda reflects the sky.”

“It’s really pretty.” Jimin agreed. Feeling sleepy, he was walking around with his head on Jongin’s shoulder. 

“Jimin.” Jongin called, and Jimin looked up at him. “You’ve really never dated? Like never really dated?”

Jimin nodded. “Mhm. I never have.”

Jongin looked worried. “Should.. I let you date other guys?”

“What?” Jimin laughed. “Why?”

“I don’t know. What if you get sick of me?” Jongin bit his lip. “I really like you. I’ve dated a lot of people, so I know I wanna spend a really long time with you. But what if you get sick of me? You’ve never dated before. Maybe you’ll wanna get back out there.”

Jimin pondered on Jongin’s claim for a second, then decided it was stupid. “That’s what makes it fun. You can teach me how to do everything, and I can just practice on you until you start blushing. Besides, if I get sick of you, I’ll just spend a week at Taehyung’s house or something. I don’t have to date a bunch of people to-... To know I like you.”

“You like me?” Jongin was looking at Jimin with shimmering eyes.

Jimin found the courage to meet Jongin’s emotional eyes, and immediately, his heart squeezed. What kind of look was that. “I… I like you.”

Jongin was biting his lip again. They stopped walking, and Jimin looked at Jongin in confusion.

“Jimin.” He began slowly. “I really like you. Like, really like you. I wanna kiss you and live with you and spend a really long time with you kind of like you.”

Jimin blinked up at him. “I know.”

Jongin looked terrified. “You know? How-...?”

“You just told me you really like me.” Jimin pointed out. “You’ve kind of been saying it a lot. And you keep talking about having babies, so I’m pretty sure that means commitment.”

“Commitment?” Jongin echoed, and Jimin wasn’t sure why he looked so shocked. “I thought I was being pretty discreet about it!”

Jimin laughed, but Jongin’s expression remained the same.

“Oh. Are you serious?” Jimin asked, and hoped he was wrong.

Jongin looked away in embarrassment.

“Wait. You took me on a date, told me to sit in your lap, feed me, kissed my cheek, told me you can’t spend a night away from me, tell me you like me so much, ask for me to have your babies, and you thought you were being discreet about your feelings?” Jimin said, unable to believe that Jongin was completely serious.

Jongin did not meet Jimin’s eyes. He kept them on the grass. “I don’t know.” He mumbled. “All my past girlfriends didn’t really notice, so I- I don’t know…”

“It’s okay!” Jimin laughed, and nudged him. “I’m not mad! Don’t think that. I’m really happy you were being so obvious.”

Jongin looked up, despite Jimin being four inches shorter, and Jimin almost felt his heart melt away. How could someone be so cute?

“Really? You mean it?” He asked, and Jimin nodded. Jongin lit up, happy again. 

“So you accept my feelings?” He asked, beaming.

Jimin laughed, and nodded. “Of course I do! I like you too, Jongin. I like our dates, and I love your company, and I like… sleeping in the same bed, and holding hands and stuff. I really want to get to know you better. And- and maybe we can, uh, kiss after that.”

Jongin could not contain his happiness. The sheer joy on his face almost frightened Jimin, but he was laughing at how aggressively Jongin was kissing his cheek. Jongin wrapped his arms beneath Jimin’s, and Jimin stood on his tiptoes to put his arms around Jongin’s neck. 

Jimin and Jongin came home in a giggly state. They returned holding hands the whole way and bumping into each other, hugged the entire elevator ride, and once they arrived home and toed their shoes off, they went immediately back to hugging. Jongin hugged Jimin from behind the entire time he was brushing his teeth, and Jongin was expecting Jimin to do the same as he did his skin care routine and brushed his teeth.

“It’s hard to hug you from behind!” Jimin complained, neck craning to get the tip of his chin on Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin set his toothbrush down and kissed Jimin’s cheek with foamy lips.

They went to bed that way too, giggling and touching places they shouldn’t, blushing and laughing as fingers dug into sides. Jimin couldn’t remember when they fell asleep, but when he woke up hours later, he discovered he was alone. 

Jimin drowsily looked to the window, and saw between the cracks of the curtains that the night was still heavy. He rolled over to check the time, and when he picked up his phone, he squinted at the brightness of it and found out it was two thirty am. Where could Jongin be?

Worried now, Jimin sat up, eyes wide as he searched the room for any trace of his pre-boyfriend. He got up and checked the bathroom, and yawned as he left the bedroom. Maybe Jongin got really hungry while Jimin was sleeping. 

As he left the bedroom, there came a rhythmic voice, and Jimin knew it was Jongin’s. Low and deep, the noise carried on, and Jimin searched the suite for it. 

Eventually, he found Jongin in the second dining room, behind the kitchen. The second dining room was sort of shabby; there was a plastic table and a couple of plastic chairs set around it, and the sink, the washing machine and the hanging clothes made it clear it was meant to be a laundry room. But it was a massive room, and Jongin had told Jimin it was a nice place to talk and clear your mind. Jongin and Jimin used the plastic table a lot anyways- it served as a comfort for Jimin. All of Jongin’s belongings were extravagant, but catching a glimpse or sitting at the little plastic dining table built for five was enough to make Jimin feel at home. 

Shirtless as usual, Jongin was leaning over the sink, his back turned to the doorway. Jimin couldn’t quite process the fact that he was on the phone, so he called for him.

“Jongin?” He called softly. Jongin stood up, looking back in surprise as he lowered his phone. He looked worried upon seeing Jimin, and motioned for Jimin to come to him. Jimin obliged, and went to his side.

Jongin hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him close.

“Sorry. My cat was meowing.” Jongin apologized to the person on the phone. Jimin’s head was spinning from the lack of sleep, so he pressed his cheek to Jongin’s chest and closed his eyes.

“No, it’s not an issue at all. All of our gangs are allied, so it’s no problem being there for your rivals.” Jongin assured. Jimin wasn’t quite sure what Jongin was talking about, but he was very warm, and Jimin felt happy to listen to him talk on the phone so long as he was in his hold. The phone call lasted for a bit longer, and towards the end, Jongin started to rush through it. He quickly hung up, then put his phone in the pocket of his pajama pants.

“What are you doing up?” Jongin asked, now able to pull Jimin into a two armed hug. 

“I just woke up and you weren’t there.” Jimin explained, his voice hoarse from sleep.

Jongin ducked his face into Jimin’s shoulder, so Jimin pat his head affectionately. 

“You’re my angel.” Jongin repeated the statement from so long ago.

Jimin smiled. “You told me that when you got stabbed.”

“It’s because I meant it.” Jongin held Jimin tighter. “Your rice cake shop was like heaven to me. I see… a lot of bad stuff every day. And my parents, they’re halfway across the country, so I just-... It’s lonely too. Even with my gang, it’s just really hard on me. This suite is lonely, this life is sad, and when I went on that trip to Busan, you- you didn’t even know me and you gave me clothes and a towel. Nobody’s ever done that for me.”

“You came into my shop freezing and shivering!” Jimin muttered. “Of course I had to help. You looked like you were gonna die.”

“I was gonna die.” Jongin agreed. “I was. But you saved me, Jimin. You save me every time. I was having really bad thoughts when I went to Busan. I was ready to die every time I was on the edge. But you were really like my angel, Jimin.”

Jimin’s heart was warmed with Jongin’s sweet confessions, but he was too tired to think up an answer. Instead, he let his head be supported by Jongin’s, and sank into the hug. 

“Jimin?” Jongin whispered. “Jimin?” 

In the end, Jongin hoisted Jimin up his torso and carried him to bed.

The next day, Jimin and Jongin spent their usual mornings together and said their goodbyes as Junmyeon dropped by to pick up Jongin.

“Did you have sex with him?” Jimin heard Junmyeon’s alarmed voice as he shut the door behind them. 

“What?!” Jongin sounded repulsed, and Jimin smiled. “Do you know how young he is? He’s my baby! I can’t touch him!”

“You liar.” Junmyeon muttered, and it was the last bit of conversation Jimin heard before they were too far away to hear. 

Jimin refused Sehun’s invitation to have lunch, as he had to get ready to meet Namjoon. He picked out more familiar clothes, since it was Namjoon he was seeing and not a date with Jongin. He put a long sleeve and leggings beneath a bulls tank top and basketball shorts, and headed out after feeding Mochi. 

They were to meet in front of Namjoon’s Korean Literature building at his college campus (Namjoon wanted to be a journalist. Also, he, Seokjin and Yoongi attended a seriously prestigious college- they were enrolled at one of the S.K.Y. Universities). Jimin regretted not bringing a jacket- it was really cold. Upon arrival, Jimin found himself unable to step into the campus. There was nothing blocking him, but there was something unsettling about the entire situation. 

Jimin was supposed to be here too. As he watched people pass by, books gathered in arm as they walked to their next destinations side by side, backpacks on their shoulders, Jimin felt the sudden misplacement he’d felt since his grandmother died. 

He was supposed to be here too.

He ducked his head and kept walking, trying to beat down his rapidly rising feelings. He was supposed to meet Namjoon and have fun with him today, not have repressed emotion come tumbling out and ruining his meet-up.

He stood in front of the Korean Literature building and waited anxiously. Where was Namjoon? 

Then, Namjoon’s head appeared in the middle of a crowd. Jimin smiled as he awkwardly shouldered through the people, and laughed when Namjoon dropped all of his books. Instead of reminiscing about Namjoon’s clumsiness on his own, he ran over to help him.

“Here you go.” Jimin said after scooping up a couple of his books.

“Jimin?” Namjoon asked, but when he lifted his head, he bonked it right into Jimin’s forehead. 

“Ow!” Jimin cried, and backed away.

Namjoon was rubbing his head in pain, but it didn’t stop him from staring wide eyed at Jimin. “Jimin!” Namjoon gaped. He shifted all his books to one arm, and moved to Jimin as he laughed. 

“Hyung,” Jimin called affectionately. 

“Your cheeks are chubby again!” Was the first thing he pointed out.

“Be quiet!” Jimin laughed, and threw his arms around him. 

They went to a cafe around Namjoon’s university. Jimin was ecstatic to get out of the cold, but Namjoon liked to take his time walking. He was being clingy today too- Namjoon was not an affectionate person by any means, but he was hovering close to Jimin today.

Finally, they made it to the cafe, and settled in seats by the window.

“It’s cold!” Jimin smiled, and Namjoon nodded. He was giving him a fond look.

“Hyung, are you going to look at me like that all day?” Jimin asked, raising an eyebrow. Namjoon shook his head.

“I just missed you.” He said, looking at the menu. “I’m really glad you gained weight.”

“I gained weight?” Jimin frowned. “I think I look the same.”

“You’re still really fit! Your face just seems fuller.” Namjoon insisted and looked up from his menu. “It’s really nice. You look healthy, you look good.”

“Thanks.” Jimin clicked his tongue and nudged Namjoon’s hand sheepishly. “Why didn’t my hyungs come? Don’t you all go to the same college?”

“We do, but they all have classes right now.” Namjoon said. “I didn’t tell them that we were hanging out. If I did, they’d ditch their class and come.” 

“You’re seriously worried about them ditching class? You’re college kids!” Jimin laughed, and Namjoon grinned. 

“You’re still like a dad.” Jimin teased.

“I missed your laugh.” Namjoon confessed, and Jimin gave him a pointed look. “What’s with this mushy stuff? I feel like we’ve been apart since 2011.”

“It did feel like that.” Namjoon told him. “It was really weird without you, Jimin. I just missed you.”

“Okay, okay. How’ve you been?” Jimin asked, resting his chin in his palms.

“Been good.” Namjoon said. Namjoon wasn’t the type to prattle on about his personal life- Yoongi, though quiet, was the one who’d usually delve into a deeper explanation of how good he is and why he’s good and what happened to make him good. So it was up to the receiving end to pry a bit. Jimin was used to this- Hoseok and Jungkook had the same trait, so asking the right questions became easy. 

“Aren’t you working on a book? Or was it a short story?” Jimin asked. Namjoon lit up.

“I finished it!” Namjoon was beaming. “I actually brought it for you! My teacher liked it so much, he hard copied it for me.”

“What? Like a hardcover book?” Jimin asked as Namjoon bent over, shifting through his bag.

“Here!” Namjoon sat up and handed a black book to Jimin. White flecks speckled the cover, smudged clouds covering the moonlight. 

“There’s no title on the front.” Jimin pointed out. Then, his face softened. “I like that. It makes the cover prettier.”

“I knew you’d think that.” Namjoon remarked happily. 

Jimin opened it, and was met with a special dedication page. Namjoon’s family came first, then came all six of his best friends in age order. 

“Just like you promised. We’re all on the dedication page.” Jimin said, and gave Namjoon a fond smile. He flipped the page to discover the title of the book as Namjoon watched eagerly, and to his surprise, the book was named something quite familiar to Jimin.

 _The Most Beautiful Moment in Life_. 

Jimin looked at Namjoon. He looked back at him anxiously.

“I remember.” Jimin broke into a smile again. “You said this book would be about the seven of us. This is the title you told us about.”

“Yeah.” Namjoon’s voice cracked, and Jimin felt his heart warm at the emotion in his voice. “It’s about the seven of us. The main character is Jin hyung.”

“Always Jin hyung.” Jimin said suspiciously. “Hyung, are you upset that he’s got a girlfriend?”

“No!” Namjoon’s rejection was rather loud. He bowed apologetically to the people who had turned to look at him. “I-... No.”

Jimin laughed, and flipped to the first page of the story. He read a few lines- poetic and almost too philosophical for Jimin’s mind to comprehend. 

“What _is_ the book about?” Jimin asked, and shut the book carefully. “It’s about us, right? But what’s the story line?”

“Jin hyung time travels. Yoongi hyung’s an alcoholic, Hoseok hyung has a weird connection to the time traveling, I’m in poverty and can stop time, Jungkook loves Yoongi hyung and Taehyungie has an abusive family. You live in a mental hospital.” Namjoon explained, and by the end, he was out of breath from saying it all so quickly. 

“You… You’re into science fiction?” Jimin asked awkwardly.

“Everything’s a metaphor for our lives.” Namjoon assured. “If you read it and have any questions, you can ask me and I’ll explain.”

Jimin grinned. “It looks like a really good book, hyung. Hey, aren’t you interested in being a journalist?”

“Who says I can’t publish books and be a journalist?” Namjoon said, and their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a waitress. Namjoon told the waitress his order easily, but Jimin had not even spared a glance at the menu, so he hurriedly picked what he thought sounded the best.

Namjoon was staring at Jimin in shock. “You- you’re ordering? Ordering food?”

Jimin blinked at Namjoon. Then, he realized Namjoon was not Jongin, and didn’t know about Jimin’s gradual return to food. “Yeah!” Jimin chuckled. “Yeah. Um, ever since everything happened with my family, I just decided to start eating! So I can stay strong for them.”

Namjoon kept staring, but his astonishment became suspicion. Jimin just keep smiling sheepishly.

Their food arrived as they kept up a steady conversation, and as they started to eat and gave happy reactions to the good food, Jimin suddenly remembered something he’d forgotten to ask his friend.

“Hyung,” He called as he swallowed his piece of cake. “Hoseok hyung called me the other day. It was a really weird call. Like, he kept asking me where I was, then he just got super aggressive and I hung up on him. It was really scary. Do you know anything about that?”

Namjoon, who was still looking at Jimin eating in shock, frowned. “Aggressive? That’s not like hyung at all.”

“I know!” Jimin agreed. “Maybe he was drunk?”

“It must’ve been that.” Namjoon muttered as he sipped his coffee. “I should talk to him and see what’s going on.”

Jimin looked at Namjoon for a bit. Namjoon wasn’t the I’ll-do-it-for-you kind of guy. And he didn’t like to offer open ended solutions like that. 

“Yeah. Thanks, hyung.” Jimin told him sweetly instead, and gave Namjoon a piece of his cake. 

After their coffee date, Namjoon walked around with Jimin a bit more near his campus. They talked about college life and Jin’s girlfriend, and walked up and down the sidewalk aimlessly, immersed in conversation. At some point, Namjoon constantly started checking his phone.

“Do you have class right now?” Jimin asked, and Namjoon gave him a little nod of agreement.

“Then go to class!” Jimin scolded, and hit Namjoon on his shoulder. 

“Hey! I don’t want to leave yet!” Namjoon argued.

“But you have to go to class! You can’t skip it because of me!” Jimin insisted, and Namjoon waved his hands as if to calm Jimin down.

“Okay, I’ll go to class.” Namjoon eased, and Jimin gave him a cold stare. “How are you getting home?”

“I’ll just-,” Jimin cut himself off. He was supposed to have come all the way from wherever his cousins were to see Namjoon, not have been in the area. “I’ll just take the subway.”

“Be safe.” Namjoon frowned, and there was a dark look in his eyes as he said it.

“What? I’m not a girl, hyung. I’ll be safe on the subway.” Jimin laughed.

“You never know.” Namjoon reached out to put a hand on Jimin’s shoulder. “Be careful. If anything gets too dangerous, you can just stay with me.”

As Jimin walked back home, he thought about Namjoon’s words. He stopped walking, and turned his head to look back- Namjoon was long gone, his campus out of sight by then. But Jimin couldn’t help but wonder if Namjoon knew something more than whatever story Jongin had told Taehyung.

Jimin arrived home around four, and Baekhyun came knocking around five thirty. He greeted Jimin with a goofy smile, and Jimin noticed his tuxedo was looking fancier than usual.

“How’s it going?” Baekhyun greeted. “We haven’t talked since the party.”

“Yeah.” Jimin agreed quietly. “I’m good! Uh, Jongin’s not home yet.”

“I know that.” Baekhyun grinned. “I came to get you. Jonginie’s still on the docks with Minseok hyung. You know how it is, don’t you?”

“I do.” Jimin told him awkwardly. 

“No you don’t.” Baekhyun teased. “Jongin doesn’t talk about any work at all around you, does he?”

“Not really.” Jimin confessed, and smiled shyly. 

“He must really like you.” Baekhyun remarked. “Hey, get dressed up. All of us are heading to a dinner party with Jeongyeon’s gang. She wanted you to be there.”  
“Me?” Jimin choked. “But she doesn’t even know me! Did I talk to her?”

“Jongin had some work with her the other day. Guess he blabbed nonstop about you, and she wants to meet you now! So go and get dressed. Dinner’s at seven, and we’re driving up to Suwon!” Baekhyun said, and pat Jimin’s back. 

Jimin stepped aside for Baekhyun to come in, and closed the door behind him. Baekhyun made a beeline for the couch, and Jimin was left wondering what could be so good in Suwon.

Jimin got dressed quickly. Jimin’s only formal attire was the red suit Jongin had got him, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted Jeongyeon to see him in the same clothes twice. Also, he hadn’t put them to wash yet, so it wasn’t the greatest idea to use it. His other only formal attire was a set of black trousers and a loose button up. The last time he’d worn anything formal beyond Jeongyeon’s party was at his high school graduation dinner, but he’d lost his blazer and tie moving out of his parents’ house. He had his button up and tie to keep him company, so he hoped it would be enough. He slicked his hair back, put on a little bit of eye liner and went to meet Baekhyun in the living room.

“Wow.” Baekhyun said, but he didn’t look too wowed. He was looking Jimin up and down, almost judgmentally. “I’m only saying this because I don’t want you to feel underdressed… but don’t you think you should wear something fancier?”

“This is all I have.” Jimin told him and ducked his head.

“Jongin doesn’t buy you any clothes?” Baekhyun frowned. “Maybe he doesn’t like you. I’m just kidding. You’ll make the party feel a little more casual that way, so let’s just get going, alright? Not much time to try and get you a new outfit.”

“Sorry.” Jimin apologized.

“Forget it. Let’s go!” Baekhyun said, brushing it off and opening the door for Jimin instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot is building.... and building.... and still building 😏

**Author's Note:**

> I’m still figuring out the plot and events, so take some relationship building before the story really starts!


End file.
